Wonders
by SlytherinFlame
Summary: Drew remained alone while May married Brendan. Now, May's daughter Amy has turned 10 and needs a partner on her journeys. Brendan and May choose Drew. Still, Drew has distinct memories of his failed relationship with May and Amy reminds him of her.
1. The Brick House in Cherrygrove

There is a young man sitting on a rock outside of Cherrygrove City. He is tall, lanky, and arrogant. The wind blows his soft green hair into his eyes and he brushes it back with his calloused fingers.

His Roserade, his first Pokemon and trusted partner, dances behind him, but he takes no notice. Her movement may be beautiful, but the young man doesn't have time for beauty. He doesn't really have time for anything, really. What, with all the things he has on his mind nowadays? He has trophies to win, places to explore, dreams to catch...and yet he sits on the rock, sighing and deep in thought.

I am this man. Drew Rose is my name. I am a coordinator from LaRousse City. Well...I was. I stopped training six months ago. I'm retired. I've lost my way in the midst of raining petals and sparkles on a stage. That world is past. The glamour and glory is gone.

"R-Rose?"

Roserade is shivering. I feel pity for her, an emotion I usually direct towards myself. I reach in my bag for her Pokeball and, in a quick flash of red light, she is in her own haven until I must drag her out again.

I wonder what it must be like nestled inside a little Pokeball. A place of my own. I don't have a place I live. I travel incessantly, sleeping under the stars or in the nearest PokeCenter. Silent, peaceful, but alone; my night's are fairly simple.

I hop off my rock and make my way back into town.

Cherrygrove is a mass of different colors and neon signs. First, the bright red of the PokeCenter pops out at you like a Beedrill in a quiet tree. Then the PokeMart scars your corneas when the moonlight reflects off of the florescent blue.

I hate it here. It makes my head hurt.

I walk about halfway downtown before I make a right on to Thorn Street. A friend of mine lives here. A friend I've been meaning to pay a visit to for a long time.

I walk up to his house, small and made of brick with ivy growing on the sides and a white roof, and ring the doorbell, which causes a Mightyena to bark rambunctiously.

A dark hair man wearing a white cap answers the door. "Drew? Wow. It's been a long time."

"Hey Brendan. I know. I was in town and I decided I should see how you're keeping up."

"Well, I'm still alive, that's for sure," he says, smiling and rubbing the back of his pale neck. "Come on in."

"Nice place," I compliment, jealously. He has one floor and a basement. His dining room even has a crystal chandelier. A chandelier that is now tossed into the air by the Mightyena who flings himself at me. But fear not, since the chandelier is caught with a lazy flick of the hand of a Kirlia. The power of psychic pokemon is simply astounding sometimes. The Kirlia didn't even look up.

"Thanks, Drew," Brendan replies, but then frowns. "Down Mightyena! You're wrinkling Drew's shirt!"

The Mightyena obediently takes his paws off of me and dives down the stairs.

Brendan sighs and then returns to his gracious posture. With a cheesy smile, he guides us into the living room.

"Hey guys! You'll never guess who's here!"

With a creak of floorboards I see two girls emerge from the hallway adjacent to the kitchen. One is brunette and seems to be my age. The other is small, dark haired, a child.

"Uh, hi." I raise my hand in greeting.

The adult nods politely, but it's clear that she doesn't care. The child grins a very toothy grin and runs to hug me tight around the middle.

"Mommy's told me all about you!" she declares as she lets go of me. I raise my eyebrows at Brendan and he shrugs.

"We were just about to make lunch, if you want to join us." Brendan changes the subject smoothly. "Is leftover pizza and salad okay with everyone?"

We all agree. Even the brunette, who remains mute.

* * *

"So Drew," Brendan starts. "What's brought you to Johto?"

I think about it hard as I nibble on a slice of cheese pizza. What has brought me to Johto? I cannot think of a reason immediately.

"Uh..."

"Personally, I like the peace and quiet," Brendan interrupts.

"Yeah, that's it. ...Peace and quiet. Yep." I return to my food and the table becomes awkward again.

"Amy, why don't you tell Drew about your new Pokemon?"

The little girl's face lights up as he mentions her Pokemon. I am reminded of myself at that age. Pokemon were a wonder of the world, the ultimate dream. And now, they're my best friends. The wonder never ends, not for me, not for the little girl named Amy, not for anyone.

She brushes the hair out of her eyes and begins. "So I was walking home from the PokeMart since I had to buy some more mail to send to Grandaddy and this cute Pokemon started following me. He was so little and cuddly! He followed me all the way home and I gave him food and let him stay the night in the house. In the morning, he didn't leave so Dad caught him for me!"

"That's so cool!" I find myself exclaiming. At the same time, I feel envy. This girl who has her own family and a place to live could find companionship so easily and yet I could not. The rich only seem to get richer in this world. Yet, this was a child. I should be grateful for the partners I already have. I think of my Roserade, my faithful sidekick, my best friend.

"What kind of Pokemon is it, Amy?" Brendan asks her. It's a leading question.

"Cherrubi!" she practically yelps. "A pretty grass Pokemon!"

"A Cherrubi? They hail from Sinnoh, right?" I wonder aloud.

"Yeah," Brendan confirms. "It's odd to find one here. It must be special."

"Special," Amy repeats to no one in particular.

Still, the brunette has said nothing.


	2. Mixtures of Pain and Innocence

_Children are like nothing else in the world, that's for certain. Take Amy for example. She would never judge people for looks or for failure. Children believe all were created equal. Children are the carriers of pure innocence. Something that you never find in this world anymore._

_Innocence was something I used to have as a child myself. It's funny how easily something pure and good can have it's will easily bent into something evil. I was always second best to my siblings, to Harley and Solidad, to...May._

_That name. I can't think about it. It brings nothing that can be good for me._

That is all that I can muse about in one day because Brendan comes up behind me and grabs me by the shoulder, shaking me out of anything else I amy have been pondering.

"Hey, Drew. Will you come back inside? I have something I've been meaning to ask you..."

I get up from the porch step I've been sitting on and following him in through the front door to the living room, where both Amy and the brunette are waiting for us.

"Have a seat, Drew," Brendan says, pointing to the chair next to the sofa that Amy is sitting on.

"Hi, Drew!" Amy exclaims, like my presence is the happiest thing in the world. I beg to differ, but that's beside the point.

Brendan clears his throat and we all look at him. Satisfied with the attention, he begins:

"We've been meaning to ask you this earlier, actually. It's very convenient and lucky that you got here when you did. Amy turned ten last week. That means she's ready to start her Pokemon journey. That's what her mother and I did. That's what you did.

"We called Professor Elm of New Bark Town. He said that he transferred a couple of starters to Mr. Pokemon's house. In that case, Amy must make it through Route 30 by herself with only a young Cherrubi. Being a trainer myself, I know that there are always trainers on every route and I want Amy to be safe.

"I was assuming you were on your way out of Cherrygrove up Route 30 anyway. So I was going to ask you this: Could you escort Amy to Mr. Pokemon's house? Could you make sure she receives her starter Pokemon safely?"

I nod without thinking first.

Brendan grins and even the brunette has a hint of a smile. Amy's face lights up like a Christmas tree.

"Yay! Thank you, Drew! This is going to be awesome! You can teach me how to be good at Pokemon and win battles and contests and..."

"Amethyst," Brendan scolds. "Let's not get carried away."

"Don't call me that!" Amy whines.

Her real name is Amethyst. I can't help being awed by people with strange names. My name is Drew, one of the most common names around. It was my grandfather's name for Arceus' sake! Amy's name is just completely original. I wonder what made them name her so.

Amy and the brunette get up off the sofa and start to walk away. I start to stand up when Brendan looks me right in the eye.

"Thank you so much. I hope she won't give you too much trouble."

* * *

I decide that it's high time that this brunette talked to me. I've only been in her home for hours. I figure that she's Brendan's wife.

I walk down the hallway to her and Brendan's room. She's sitting on the end of the bed, holding something. I can't tell what it is. Her shoulders are shaking.

"Hello?" I stand in the doorway and knock on the door sideways.

She whips her head around, causing her hair to go flying over her face, although I can see her blue eyes clear as day. They're full of fresh tears. I bit my lip and walk in.

"Are you okay?"

She averts her eyes and gets up of the bed, throwing something red into the corner. She pushes me out of the way and rushes out the door. I can't help but follow her.

"Wait! I just wanted to talk to you!" I yell after her. "What's wrong?"

It's a good thing Brendan is at the PokeCenter teaching Amy healing Pokemon. This may not look good to him. What, the two of us running out of their bedroom with his wife crying? I think not.

She makes a beeline for the basement but I'm faster by a mile. I get to the door first and block her, but she quickly changes directions.

"Hey!"

She starts sprinting back down the hall into her bedroom and slams the door. It doesn't lock, so I jiggle the handle and walk right in.

She's sitting on the edge of the bed again, still shaking.

"What's wrong?"

She doesn't reply and her head sinks into her hands.

"Why do you hate me so much? I don't even know you," I snarl at her, my impatience and temper getting the better of me.

With that, her head snaps back up and she turns around to face me, putting a hand on each of my shoulders. Her blue eyes are surrounded by a rim of burning red and her face is contorted in rage.

"Ask yourself, Drew," she whispers. "How well do you remember this face?"

I do as she tells me. I look deep into her face and then, with a drop of my stomach, I know.

"...May?"


	3. Roses and Promises

_"...May?"_

It's been two hours since I spoke to my old rival and still I cannot think of anything but her. What went wrong? When did she become just another lost memory? I try to picture our younger selves and just cannot do it anymore. I only see myself with her. Not Harley, not Solidad, heaven forbid not Brianna. Just May.

I shuffle through my backpack until I find two of my most prized possessions. One is a plastic rose covered in sparkles that Solidad gave me when I decided to retire from coordinating. I look at it, twirl it between my fingers feeling the tiny fake thorns poke at my skin. I smile, I feel nostalgic, I put it away.

The other is a simple red bandanna. It makes me wonder what happened to us. When did something so good turn into something so wrong? We used to tell each other everything and now I can barely talk to her. _I didn't even recognize her_. I put my face into the bandanna and realize that it still smells like her. Alarmed, I throw it back into my bag.

I loved May. Really and truly. Yet, she didn't choose me. She picked her old childhood friend. Brendan was always there for her. After I left her in Blackthorn City so I could go to Sinnoh, Brendan was still in Cherrygrove waiting for her, arms outstretched.

I never had a chance. They have a kid! She's living, breathing, the sheer image of her mother. She wears her hair much the same way. They have too much energy for their own good and the way they carry themselves. It's too much.

I can't do this. I can't travel with another May. That's suicide.

I have to get away from here.

* * *

_"Drew?"_

Amy was tugging at my shoulder. I hadn't realized that she and Brendan were back already. I was far too lost in my own thoughts.

"Yep?"

"Is it okay if I sit here?"

"Go ahead."

It was getting dark already. I didn't notice that the stars were particularly bright or that the moon was full. It was another beautiful sight to behold that, once again, I didn't have time for.

"Mom told me that the stars up in the sky are pure-hearted deceased Pokemon. Grandpa Norman said so, too. He said he knew about a Marowak that Team Rocket killed in Lavender Town. He said that Marowak is the brightest star of all."

"I've heard that somewhere before..." I trail off. May had told me that as we star-gazed only to be rudely interrupted by Harley as usual. Harley was always sneaking up on us, even when we all went to Johto for the first time.

"You seem like a good person," Amy states out of the blue.

"You're a good person too, Amy." I look over at her. I wish I could know what she is thinking.

Suddenly, her eyes get dark and the smile on her face fades. "I'm not good. I spy on mom sometimes..."

"What?" She takes me by surprise.

"I spy on Mom. She cries every night with a red rose in her hands. She pulls the petals off and drops them to the ground and cries harder. Dad doesn't like it, but I don't know what it's about."

I'm completely caught off guard and start to blush. "Well...uh...I don't know what to say to that."

Amy covers her mouth. "I probably shouldn't have told you that."

"No. It's okay. Your...I mean _her_ secret's safe with me."

"I can trust you?"

"Of course you can. I promise."

And this is a promise I'm sure to keep.

* * *

I knock on the bedroom door again. It feels like deja vu. Wasn't I just in this position and didn't it end badly last time? Still, I can't stop myself from speaking with her this time.

She whips her head around, eyes filled with tears, just like last time. "Go away," she demands.

I don't flinch. Instead, I walk up to her and put my hand on her shoulder. She looks up at me. She is the vulnerable one this time. We have switched spots.

I say, "I know you don't care about what happens to me, but I just wanted to let you know that nothing will happen to Amy. Your daughter is safe. I'll protect her with my life. I owe it to you."

May nods. I leave, but I as I walk out the door, out of the corner of my eye I can see a red petal hit the hardwood floor. I don't know how, but the sight is comforting to me. She still believes in the magic of roses. The same way I do.


	4. Facing Fears

Amy and I are to leave early in the morning for Mr. Pokemon's house. My job shouldn't be all that difficult. Route 30 is usually full of weak trainers anyway. I'm only worried that there might be a lot of weak trainers. After six one-hit KOs, the whole process starts to get a bit tedious.

At about six AM, Amy asks me to show her my Pokemon. She has that same look of absolute wonder in her eyes that I recognize, so naturally my heart turns to mush and I comply.

"Roserade! Masquerain!"

My two favorite Pokemon come out of their Pokeballs as though they were performing in a Contest. Roserade springs out of the white light, turns a double somersault, and lands in a Petal Dance. Masquerain uses Silver Wind on Roserade's Petal Dance, making the petals and sparkles intertwine around the two as Masquerain lands on Roserade's red flower.

I narrow my eyes at the two, nitpicking as always. "Rose, you're a bit off-balance. Masquerain! Tuck your right wing in a little more...that's it. Perfect."

Amy stands there, awestruck.

"Just like old days, huh?"

I turn around and face May, who finally looks like she brushed her hair. She has a blue bandanna in her hands and wraps it around her head. "So, I guess you still have some of your old flair, don't you Drew?"

I shrug. "Sure..."

Suddenly, she takes out a shiny Pokeball and throws it up into the air. "Beautifly!"

Beautifly explodes out of the beam of light launching a string shot into the sky. It's the same exact shape as my face. And then...

"Now, magical leaf!"

Razor edged leaves splice the face into a million pieces that rain down on me. Amy laughs hysterically.

"Impressive." I roll my eyes, brushing the silk off of my purple sweatshirt.

"How about a battle!" Amy exclaims. "Dad can judge! I wanna see who's the best! Masquerain versus Beautifly?"

May nods.

I fold my arms. "Okay. Why not? Masquerain!"

"Beautifly!"

I turn the other way, expecting Masquerain to follow me and perch on my shoulder, but he doesn't. Confused, I look back over at May, only I see her Beautifly first...with my Masquerain.

Beautifly and Masquerain and circling around each other, sparks and petals coming from nowhere.

"Masquer!"

"Fly!"

"Oh. I forgot about that," May says, blushing.

"Right. Maybe no battle. I wouldn't want to break these two up..." Amy replies, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Don't worry. I can take down your mom any day. You'll see sometime," I say. I seem to be returning to my old, arrogant ways. It's strange, how that always happens when May's around.

* * *

"Amy, we're going to miss you," Brendan says, giving his daughter a hug and a kiss on the cheek. May did the same.

"Don't beat up on Drew too badly," he adds. I scowl.

"Here." May hands Amy the shiny Pokeball. "Take Beautifly with you. I know she wants to be with Masquerain and she'll be in capable hands."

Amy's face splits into her toothy grin.

Brendan holds out a green and white cap, the exact same pattern as the red one he's wearing. "Take this too, kid. People'll know you're not a little girl to mess with."

She enthusiastically pulled it on. It was far too big for her and a band of green covered her eyes. Still, she looked ecstatic. "Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad! I won't lose either of them!"

"'Atta girl!" Brendan says, and chuckles.

Amy turns to me. "Drew, I think I'm ready to go."

"Alright, kiddo." With a wave at May and Brendan, I turn away and we both walk so far that the house is lost behind the ever expanding horizon.

* * *

"I've always been afraid of Spinarak," Amy tells me as we climb up a hill, avoiding tall grass and trainers as best we can.

"Ariados too?" I ask.

She nods.

"Well you better be careful. I hear Spinarak are all over Johto!" I tell her. I'm just messing with her, but she still smacks me on the back.

"Drew!"

We walk a little farther and then she asks, "What are you afraid of Drew?"

I think about it for a while. "I would say...failure, disapproval...hmmm...definitely losing people I love."

"That's deep. My fears are very vain. I don't really know why I hate spiders so much. I know they can't hurt me..."

"Fears are fears," I tell her, remembering what Solidad once told me when I was in my first contests. "They're different for everyone. Everyone is unique, therefore, everyone is afraid of different things. I don't think being afraid of spiders is vain at all. It's completely normal."

She looks reassured for a moment. But then she adds, "I don't like the dark either. Or needles."

She looks a little bit nervous. "Needles certainly aren't fun," I say. "I loathe the dark, too. I hate the way it makes you feel absolutely alone."

Her eyes snap up to meet mine and I realize that they are the same sapphire of her mother. "You understand," she whispers.

* * *

"Can you go get us some firewood, Amy? I think we should set up camp here for the night. We'll get to Mr. Pokemon's house in the morning."

"Sounds good to me," she grins, and then she takes off into the trees with her Cherrubi bouncing behind her.

I start setting up the tent. It's not complicated; Arceus knows how many times I used this same tent in my coordinating days. Unfortunately, it doesn't take my mind off of things. May and I used to sleep in this same tent, back when we were young. We thought nothing of it. Back when we were innocent.

The tent pops up and I am satisfied as I look over my handiwork. I've become a pro at this. I remember it used to take me an hour when I was thirteen. I always had to ask someone for help. Solidad or Harley...or...May.

I can't get her out of my head. Her hair, her smile, her bright blue irises. May takes me back to a happier time. Before retirement, before Amy, before Brendan. Before we all grew up and the fairy tales were over.

A scream pierces the night, out of nowhere. A place far beyond the treetops. It's a scream I recognize. It's...

_"Amy!"_

I sprint into the darkness. Ironic, that I'm running into something both Amy and I fear. This time, though, I'm not alone. Although with a twist of my stomach I realize that if I'm not fast enough, I may be on my own.

"Now what have we here?" a masculine voice says. I run into the clearing and see a tall figure close in on a tiny shadow.

"_Get away from her_," I growl.

"Drew!"

The figure comes into the moonlight and I can see that he has a good three inches on me and at least fifty pounds. He's dressed in head-to-toe leather, clearly a biker-type. He shakes a gloved fist at me menacingly, but I don't back down an inch.

"What are you, her babysitter?"

"Actually, I'm her guardian. I'm here to protect her from scum like you. I know your type. I've beaten the _shit _out of your kind before."

"In what? A beauty pageant?" he snorts and then he reached for something on his belt. I flinch, thinking it's a gun.

He takes something out. Squinting, I can see that it's a Ultra ball. So it's a battle he wants? No problem.

I take out a Pokeball from my belt. "Roserade. Let's get him."

He throws his Ultra ball into the starry sky. "Go, Flaaffy"

For a second, I stare at him in disbelief. "_Wait, what_? Flaaffy? _What?"_

"Are you making fun of my Pokemon? Flaaffy! Use thunderbolt!"

Flaaffy charges the static of his wool and launches blue lightning at Roserade. Luckily, Roserade is well-disciplined and dodges, launching a razor leaf attack without my even saying anything. It hits the mark exactly.

"Flaaffy!" the biker cringes as his Flaaffy falls backward into a tree. "That's some powerful flower, you got there." he turns to his Pokemon. "C'mon Flaaffy, we won't lose! Thunderbolt again!"

Once again, Roserade dodges effortlessly.

"Stun spore, then poison jab, Rose. Go get 'em!" I yell and Roserade obeys.

The Flaaffy is surrounded in the golden, shimmering powder spewing from Roserade's red and blue flowers. He twitches a few times, unable to consciously move his muscles as Roserade attacks full-front, each powerful jab directly on the mark. I look over on the sidelines and see Amy sitting on the ground, Cherrubi in her lap, Beautifly perched on her head, her face a mask of terror. I watch her for a moment and then refocus on the battle.

"Rose. That's enough." Flaaffy is on the ground. Fainted.

The biker says nothing. He avoids looking me in the eyes as he holds out the Ultra ball and Flaaffy disappears in a beam of red light. Maybe he's embarrassed he lost to a "flower". I'll never know, because he raced to the trees and did not return.

"Are you okay?" I inquire to Amy.

She just shakes her head, eyes as big as saucepans. "How did you do that?"

I chuckle. "Years and years of practice."

"You're so good at Pokemon, though! Can you teach me to battle like that?"

I shrug the compliment off. "First you have to learn to train, Amy. If you want, I can show you tomorrow. You should probably get some sleep. It's been a rough day."

She agrees and we head back to the campsite. Safe and sound for now.


	5. Union and Reunion

"I was given four Pokemon that you can choose from, Amy," Mr. Pokemon informs the ten year old, pointing to a desk with four Cherish Balls on it. He picks the first one up and releases the Pokemon.

Out bursts a mouse Pokemon with golden fur. "Pika!" it says.

"This is Pikachu, an electric pokemon," Mr. Pokemon says, and I have a sudden flashback to the boy May always traveled with. What was his name? Magma? Lava? Soot? _Something_ volcanic.

The Pikachu returns to the ball. Mr. Pokemon picks up the next ball and releases it. "Azurill."

The tiny creature with the large ears bounces on its tail merrily. Juan had one of those. They were always too cute for me. Too hyper. No power behind them. I find myself hoping that Amy does not pick it.

Next, Cherish ball is picked up. "Treecko."

The green lizard bursts out of the ball and folds its arms over its chest. It's an arrogant little creature. At least, that's what I think until I realize I'm in the exact same pose as the Pokemon. I take a deep sigh.

The Treecko returns to the counter and the last Cherish ball is released.

"Skitty."

As the pink and white cat bounds into my sight, I find my eyes watering and I'm not sure why. I don't want Amy to see, so I excuse myself.

"If you'll excuse me. I'm going to take my allergy medicine," I lie, swiftly, before stealthily tip-toeing out the door.

Tears are so trivial. They're just the universal sign for sadness. When a normal person sees tears, they don't realize the other emotions behind the crying. They don't know the pain, the anger, the nostalgia, and the feeling of worthlessness that my tears entitled to me. Crying doesn't rid me of this feeling, but sometimes, I need release. I can't keep my despair pent up. It will make me unbalanced.

_I learned that not too long ago. I was unbalanced. Depressed, even. That was when I learned not to trust everyone. When the innocence was annihilated once and for all. The dark age._

I re-enter the room.

"You okay, Drew?" Amy looks worried.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"I picked Skitty," she says, out of the blue. "Look!"

Skitty crawls out from behind her leg, obviously frightened of me. I force myself to kneel down and pet it, reminding my fingers that it's not the same Pokemon that May had. It's a different life, a different soul. This Skitty has no connection to May's Skitty.

I get a sudden idea.

"Stay right here. I need to get something from my bag," I say, rushing out of the room.

I rip my bag apart, searching for the item I can see so clearly in my head. It's something I've had for years and couldn't dream of giving away. Amy was different for some reason, though. I didn't know why, but I could feel it. And, clearly, that was enough for me.

"Here."

I come back into the room and tie the old cloth around Skitty's soft, plushy neck.

"I like it," Amy says, examining the new addition to her starter Pokemon.

"Me too."

"Skit!" The kitten purrs, playing with the faded red bandanna tied around her neck. The Skitty is connected to May, after all.

"Thank you, Mr. Pokemon. For the Skitty, for lunch, for everything!" Amy bows her head, respectfully. I mimic her.

"Anytime you need help, I'll be here, Amy, Drew. Thanks for stopping by!"

And with that, we're off.

It's a mild day outside. Not hot, not cold, but in equilibrium. One of those rare days where there is nothing to complain about. The air is just there, something in which to be. You do not sweat, but you do not shiver. In other words, it was my ideal medium.

"Where to next?" Amy wonders.

"Violet City," I answer. "It has the nearest Pokemon Center."

"Hm..." She is thinking, her hand on her chin so that her knuckles graze the bottom of her lips. "Is there a gym in Violet?"

"I think so," I say, taking out my PokeGear to check. I scroll down to Violet City with my stylus and click on it. Sure enough, the symbol for "Gym" is sticking out like a sore thumb. There seems to be little else in this city. "Yep. Violet City Gym. I want to say it's flying type, although I know the old flying leader died a long time ago."

"I want to challenge the gym leader," she declares.

I don't know why, but I love it when she does this. She just announces something difficult or heartwarming like it's nothing. I know I was never like that. Everything for me was about me. I was selfish. But Amy... Amy is the most innocent, selfless child I have ever met. Not that I've met many ten year old children recently.

"You know, you have to get yourself certified first," I remind her.

"Oh...I forgot about that."

"Don't even worry about it. I'm sure Nurse Joy can write up a Trainer's Card for you when we get there."

"Why do you know everything, Drew?"

I just smile and keep walking. It becomes silent. Not an awkward silence, but an understanding one. I miss these kinds of silences.

"Oh my god! Is that _Drew_?"

I spin around in the surprise of hearing my named called. It wasn't Amy. I didn't think I knew anyone in Violet, either.

It's a short woman with red hair and blindingly bright blue-green eyes.

"Uh...hi?" I don't remember this girl at all. She looks disappointed.

"Don't you know who I am, Drew?" She gives me the puppy dog look and I'm about to apologize, when I see a tall, muscle-y man with dark blue hair standing behind her. He's slightly intimidating.

"Uh...no, I don't." I look away from her blinking orbs and focus on Amy who is happily chatting with Nurse Joy at the front desk.

"Is she yours?" the girl wonders.

I shake my head, somewhat sadly. I find myself wanting to say yes. She feels like my own child and I've only known her for two days. Amy's willing to give her heart and soul to strangers. I feel like I know her completely.

"I wish. She's the daughter of a friend of mine."

"Oh. Sorry. I'm Brianna, by the way."

"Brianna?" I have a sudden memory of a jealous girl. The sabotage of May and not by Harley either. Not this time. A girl with red hair and blue-green eyes. Younger and shorter. Cocky, but secretly unsure. A Surskit and Vibrava on hand. Fainting into May's arms all because I said she was good. My number one fan. My stalker.

Oh, _Arceus_. I was hoping I wouldn't have to see her again.

"Nice to see you again, Drew."

"This is Freddie. He's my husband."

I shake the tall blue haired man's beefy hand, smiling politely, even though I'm scared out of my wits. It's not that he's a huge guy. He just has this aura. It's screaming at me, making my fight-or-flight senses go crazy.

"Wow. _Married_."

Something goes off in my head. My once psychotic fan girl has someone to hold and love and I have no one. She's married! I'm lonely. It's funny how things do a major flip-flop as the years go by.

"So, what brings you to Violet, Drew?" Brianna truly looks curious, so I motion over towards Amy, who is diligently filling out her Trainer registration.

"That's Amy. Remember May Maple? It's her daughter. I'm escorting her around for a while until she gets the hang of training."

"I thought I recognized Brendan's hat when I first glanced at her..." Brianna admits.

"You know Brendan?" Why does everyone else know and remember all these people, when I can't? It's driving me off the edge.

"Of course. We were at the wedding. She was at ours, too," she informs me, turning to give a lovesick expression to her husband.

She was invited, when I wasn't?

Pausing only for a moment, I continue. "Well, Amy wants to become a trainer."

"Not a _co-ordinator_?" Brianna exclaims in surprise. "Both her parents in the industry, plus you, of course. And she wants to compete in the Pokemon League? That's _insane_!"

I brush it off and try to return to what I was saying. "Yeah, you know kids... Anyway, we're here so that she can challenge the Violet City Gym."

Freddie finally pipes in. "Violet City Gym? Are you sure? The leader there is pretty tough."

I narrow my eyes. "How would you know?"

Brianna snorts. "Freddie is Falkner's older brother. Falkner's the gym leader."

"Oh..." Now I feel stupid.

"I can get you a battle," Freddie says, "But you're going to have to work with this little girl if she wants to win. She doesn't strike me as an experienced battler."

I agree. "She's not. I'll train with her tonight, though. Don't worry."

Brianna grins. "It's a deal, then."

I look over at the girl I now have to train for a gym leader battle tomorrow. All I can currently see is a clueless little girl who has never so much as ordered a Pokemon attack with a cap that is far too big for her.

I have my work cut out for me.


	6. The First Ribbon

_It was absolutely inconceivable how quickly Amy took to battling. With a combination of her mother's determination and her father's flair, she seemed utterly unbeatable. She even took to flipping her hair the way I once did. _

_I wouldn't know much about the actual art of battling, but I could say that she would be a force to reckon with. _

"Drew, I can't sleep."

Amy has barged into my room. It is now 2:43 AM. I run my eyes and sit up, except that I forget I'm the bottom bunk, so I slam my forehead into a slab of wood from the bed above me.

"_Shit,_" I curse, and then realize Amy's standing in the doorway. "Sorry..."

"It's okay," Amy replies, swiftly. "Dad swears all the time. I started doing it, but mom washed my mouth out with soap and I tasted Dove for a whole month."

It's so early.

"What do you need?" I wonder.

Amy takes a seat in the desk chair across the room, squeezing a mudkip doll tightly to her chest. "I'm just really nervous about tomorrow. What if I lose? What if Falkner demolishes me?"

"You can't sleep?"

"Not one bit." She buries her face in the doll and I can see nothing but her hair, many shades darker than May's.

"Can I tell you a story?"

Her head shoots upward like a rocket. "Story?"

I nod. "You know I used to be a coordinator and I could never sleep the day before a tournament." _Especially one your mother was in, _I add, but only in thought.

"Mom always told me about you...and dad, too. She stopped training while you and dad continued your careers."

I hesitate, taking in the full force of what she just said. Did May end her career shortly after our break-up?

"Well, that's partially true. Brendan retired when he was twenty-three. Geez, that must have been, like, eight years ago. I didn't retire until last year.

"Anyway, on with the story:

"I was ten years old, much like you are now. I was a brand new coordinator. I was inexperienced, arrogant beyond belief, and had only two pokemon. A Roselia was my starter and best friend. A stray Masquerain was injured and left alone on the outskirts of LaRousse City and so I took it in, and soon enough, it became one of my closest partners as well.

"My first contest was in Verdanturf Town. I signed up as soon as I got there. I was a rookie, a nobody. No one seemed to pay attention to me, nobody cared about a ten year old kid in way over his head. But that was okay with me. I preferred to be alone.

"Unfortunately, my confidence began to dwindle as night approached. I told you before that I never liked the dark. Back then, it terrified me beyond belief. Back in LaRousse City, the dark was never there. With all the robots and walk ways and street lamps, light was always present. I never exsisted in the dark. It was a new concept. I didn't sleep at all that first night.

"I sat awake in a top bunk just like this one until four o'clock in the morning. My bunk mate was a strange man. He never liked being top bunk because he was so afraid of heights, so I grudglingly took it. He had purple hair, a green outfit, and he was at least six feet tall. He was sixteen years old at the time. I can't think of another word for him besides flamboyant."

I chuckled, savoring the memory, then continued:

"I didn't know he was awake until he yelled at me to go to bed. He said something like 'Darling, we're all scared. The point is to not act it! You ever heard the saying you don't have to be faster than the bear, you just have to be faster than your friend? Well, now you have. Dear _Arceus_, good night!'

"He was right, of course. Still, I didn't sleep at all. I was thinking of a strategy. So in the morning I drank as many cups of coffee as I could before Nurse Joy started glaring at me like an enraged Noctowl. The caffeine rush was tremendous. I was wide awake and my preliminary was beyond my wildest dreams that day. Unfortunately, I had to run to the bathroom between every round..."

Amy laughed along with me.

"That purple-haired man ended up in the semi-finals with me. His name was Harley. He knew who I was: the boy who feared the dark. Luckily, Harley had not slept a wink that night, either. You could see the bags under his eyes for miles. I beat him handily and went on to win the entire tournament. Harley never lived that loss down and probably still hasn't. He's practically forty years old and hasn't retired yet. He wants to win a national championship."

I frown. That must have been the only half-way decent memory I still had of Harley. As a matter of fact, I couldn't remember many good memories with May or Briana or Solidad or anyone. It was always about me. My arrogance took up all the space in the room and then some.

Amy pulls me out of my inner turmoil. "That was a good story. It had a good lesson."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And I'm not afraid of the dark, Drew. You probably aren't, either. We're afraid of the uncertain. We're afraid of what comes out of the dark to jurt us when we least expect it."

I am astonished. "Wow."

Amy smiles. "I'm going to bed now. I think I can sleep just fine. Thanks for the story."

I blink as she leaves. _Afraid...of the uncertain? She has a point, I guess. _

I reach into my knapsack and pull out my very first contest ribbon. It's not a prized possession per say; it's simply a reminder not to be afraid. And that I own Harley.


	7. Finding Their Wings

_The sun shone over a traveling group of teenagers. The two taller ones walked hand in hand, girl and boy, in sync. The other two nervously glanced at one another back and forth as if in some sort of beat. They bumped fingers, trying to make it look accidental. The girl blushed violet and the arrogant boy smirked, flipping his chartreuse hair. Hidden behind his back, a rose, vividly red. Confident, were the steps he took, while the girl next to him was clumsy, tripping over the cracks in the sidewalk and on her own untied shoelaces. _

I wake up with a head chock-full of memories, but I shake them away. The contest...er, _battle_ starts in two hours.

I buy four cups of coffee, pay for them, handing the money to an acne-scarred adolescent who gives me an odd look, and I sit down at a table with Amy. A very cranky Amy. A very _sleep-deprived _Amy.

And I thought _May_ was bad when she was sleep-deprived.

"So..." I yawn. "I got some extra coffee for the caffeine. You'll need it." I push a cup towards her.

"Drew, I'm _ten_. I drink tea."

"Oh."

I go back to the cashier, buy two teas, and sit back down.

"Here you go."

"Needs sugar."

"Okay." I go to the sugar dispenser, pick up two packets of Equal and sit back down.

"Equal? Try_ real _sugar!"

"Yes, your majesty." I roll my eyes, get up, and return with two packets of sugar. Being proactive, I also bring a spoon and napkins.

"There. Happy?"

"No. I didn't sleep."

"Just have some caffeine. Coffee's generally the only reason I'm standing..."

* * *

Whoever had the brilliant idea to schedule a gym battle for nine AM on a Saturday is an utter idiot. I think I've developed a caffeine tolerance because my eyes flutter shut and I have to fight to keep them open.

Bri's just said something and Falkner and Freddie are laughing like maniacs. I just nod and smile. I have no idea what the joke is. Maybe they're laughing at me.

I'm sitting on the side of Falkner's tremendous aerial battlefield on a cold, metal bleacher, surrounded by the other spectators, namely Bri and her husband. The "Splash Zone", I like to call it. Front row seating, if you will. Amy stays over on the challenger side of the gym in the trainer's box. She goes through her bag meticulously, making sure she has not left anything important back at the Pokemon Center. That would be bad.

"What about you, Drew?"

I snap my head up to attention. "What about what?"

"Don't you think they're cute?" Bri demands, eyes twinkling.

"I'm sorry, what are we talking about?"

"Morty and Falkner. Haven't you been paying attention?"

Falkner blushes the color of Bri's hair.

"Morty and Falkner...?"

Falkner holds up his hand. On his left hand, fourth finger, is a shimmering, silver ring. Simple, yet extravagant. It would stop traffic in the sun.

I almost fall of the stands.

"Whoa. You're getting married, too?"

Falkner blushes harder. Freddie puts a beefy arm around his brother.

"It seems we've embarrassed Falkner into a nearly catatonic state," he guffaws. "It's a promise ring."

"Wow."

"Isn't it cute!" Bri gushes.

I force a smile. I'm not homophobic or anything, but I've reached that age. The marriage age. And it seems I'm the odd one out.

* * *

"This will be a freestyle, Pokemon League Regulation Battle. Each side can have up to six Pokemon. A Pokemon is out upon fainting and another one must be called out immediately. If a trainer runs out of usable Pokemon, then he has lost the battle. Best of luck."

The referee raises his right flag. "Gym Leader ready?"

Falkner tries to maintain any appearance of calm and fails miserably. "...Yes."

The referee raises his left flag. "Challenger ready?"

Amy nonchalantly tucks her hair behind her ears and gives a thumbs up.

The flag come down. "Let the battle commence!"

"Pidgeotto!"

"Cherrubi!"

Falkner struggles not to laugh. "She must be...joking!" With a new found cockiness, he orders his bird Pokemon. "Pidgeotto, aerial ace!"

Pidgeotto dives from its flight into Cherrubi and lashes out with freshly sharpened talons. Cherrubi yelps.

"Oh, Cherrubi! Stun spore!"

"Pidgeotto! Dodge and aerial ace!"

Once again, the Pidgeotto dodges and mauls the berry-shaped pokemon. Cherrubi cries out in pain and frustration.

"C'mon Amy!" I yell out from the sideline.

"I know we've got this, Cherrubi! Poisonpowder, let's go!"

The cherry pokemon launches a purple substance from the tips of its leaves as the Pidgeotto dives again, this time without orders.

Pidgeotto fails to dodge and is caught up in the mass of shimmering powder, coughs twice, and spirals to the ground.

"Pidgeotto! Get up. You're tough!"

Pidgeotto laboriously returns to the sky, shaking the powder off. Without warning, it quick attacks Cherrubi, its beak angle to a dagger-like point.

Cherrubi shrieks and faints.

Amy holds up a Cherish ball. "Take a rest, Cher." She takes a Pokeball off her belt. "Alright, Beautifly, get out here!"

The rainbow colored Beautifly explodes out of the white light with its trademark battle-cry, "Beautifly!"

"Really? Another forest-dweller?" Falkner chuckles slightly.

"He shouldn't be so haughty," a voice behind me accuses.

I spin around, only to encounter a fashionably dressed blond who smells like a combination of smoke and perfume.

Bri jumps from her seat and hugs him. "Morty! I haven't seen you in forever."

Smirking slightly, I return focus to the match.

"This isn't just any bug," Amy declares. "This one's special."

Indeed. Not only to her and Masquerain, but really to me as well. Although those roses back when we were ten weren't always only for Beautifly.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Psychic!"

Pidgeotto stops in its tracks at the humming sound emanating from Beautifly. The bird falls to the ground and promptly to the ground.

"That bug must be on steroids!" Freddie announces.

"I told you that would happen!" Morty asserts.

"Shut up, Morty. I can hear you!" Falkner calls from the battlefield. He's starting to look worried as he picks a new Pokemon to bring into play. "I need you, Noctowl!"

Amy gulps. Psychic would no longer be effective.

"Beautifly, Silver Wind!"

The Beautifly, I realize, was trained as a contest Pokemon. It had no experience from battles and was raised to make every attack beautiful, true to its name. That's why the Silver Wind attack, though dazzling, had very little effect on the Pokemon it was aimed at. Noctowl looks like it had hardly been touched. That is the flaw of Amy's Pokemon.

It was the flaw in May's battle style as well.

"Noctowl, whirlwind!"

Beautifly diappears and Skitty is dragged out. Confused, the kitten ambles around. Amy is shocked.

"Skitty?"

"Skit skit?"

I face-palm.

"Well, that was stupid on Falkner's part..." Morty muses.

"What do you mean?" Bri wonders.

"Noctowl doesn't have a type advantage over Skitty like it did with Beautifly," he explains. "For one thing, Skitty could easily use assist and be well off."

May did the same thing. Assist was practically Amy's last hope.

"Assist, Amy!"

Amy stares at me blankly. "Is that a move?"

"Yes, hurry!" Falkner looks about ready to attack.

"Skitty, use assist!"

I cross my fingers.

"Skit!"

A thundershock comes out of nowhere and sweeps down dead center of Noctowl, who remains air-borne, splayed out like a pentagram.

"'Towl!"

The Noctowl crashes to the ground, twitching. It rolls over and passes out. Falkner appears mortified and briskly glances at Morty who has his head in his hands. Flakner sighs.

"Noctowl is unable to battle. Leader Falkner is out of usable Pokemon. Amy of Cherrygrove is the winner!"

"Return, Skitty!"

Bandanna and all, the Skitty dissolves in a flash of sharp, red light.

Silently, she packs the Pokeballs of various shapes and colors into her bag, tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, pulls her caps on tighter, and exits the gym into the waiting lobby.

* * *

"Congrats. I'm very happy for the two of you."

"Chill, Drew," Morty says, exasperated. "We're not getting married...yet!"

Falkner blushes for the third time that day.

I sway slightly, the adrenaline from watching the battle slowly leaving my body and weariness from the morning setting back in.

"Tell Amy it was a lovely battle and I hope she does well in the league," Falkner tells me. I promise to carry on the message.

As I start to leave, Bri grabs my arm. For a second, it feels as thought she's back to her old stalker ways, but then again, I'm a washed-up retireee. Who am I kidding?

"Drew, anytime you're passing through Violet, make sure to give me a call! And tell me how Amy does. I think she's got real potential." Bri smiles and Freddie crosses his arms over his broad chest looking awfully menacing.

"I will. Thank you, both of you."

* * *

She waited for me in the gym lobby.

"Fantastic battle, Amy. See, you didn't need my help at all!"

"I'm tired, Drew. Can we just go back to the Pokemon Center and sleep?"

Slightly dismayed, I reply, "Yeah, whatever you want kiddo."

She doesn't look well, but I assume she's just exhausted. Here I am as well, about to pass out. Perhaps we're both just tired.


	8. Puzzles and the Unown

_"What do you think of when you see the color red?" the green boy asked the clumsy girl. _

_"I see...I see devils and Valentine's Days, blood and matadores, and I see roses from your garden."_

_"Roses? Would you like a rose?"_

_"More than anything."

* * *

_

_**Ring, ring.**_

"Hello?"

"Brendan! How's it going? It's Drew!"

"Drew? Nice to hear from you. Is all well on the western front?"

"As well as it gets, I believe. Amy got her first gym badge."

"Already?"

"Yeah. From Falkner-"

I hear Brendan snort into the phone.

"-Falkner? He's _still_ a gym leader?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But your daughter beat him pretty handily. I'd say she's a natural-born battler. Congratualations!"

"Thank you, thank you." I can practically see Brendan's wide grin through the phone. "Is she doing alright?"

"As far as I can tell. She's a little bit homesick..."

"Well, she's only ten years old after all. I got super-homesick as well when I first started out. It'll pass. Make her some pancakes for breakfast. They're her favorite."

"Will do. Thanks, Brendan."

"No, thank you!"

"Give my best to...uh, May and a nice day to you as well."

"See ya, Drew."

I hang up the phone and glance over to where a bundle of blankets and scarves rest in a chair. Somewhere, underneath the mess of fabric, is Amy.

"You can't lie there forever, y'know. We've got to get to Azalea Town."

"I wanna go home." Amy's face pokes out from between a Pikachu pattern print and a purple pillowcase. "I'm tired. I miss Mom and Dad."

"But you want to be the very best that no one ever was, too. Correct?" I recall those words from elsewhere and it sends a acidic feelings through my stomach. I cover it up with an awkward smile.

"Of course I do. Who wouldn't?"

"So, you've got to keep at it! 'Winners never quit, quitters never win' and all that jazz. You'll be great, Amy!"

She looks at me indifferently. "I don't care. Home is where I want to be."

"Is it where your Pokemon want to be, too?"

Amy suddenly looks irked. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a pokeball that looks slightly worn with time. She releases the partner kept inside.

Beautifly bursts from the ball.

"Beautifly would want to be with Masquerain," she says.

I grab a Luxury Ball from my knapsack and toss it into the air. Masquerain bursts out of it and with a flash of light and a shimmer, races over to circle around Beautifly.

"I wouldn't be going home with you, Amy. Don't you want your Pokemon to happy, too?"

She contemplates it for a while.

"You're right."

"You think so?"

"You're _always_ right!"

"Your mother used to say that."

"No she didn't."

"You're right. She didn't."

Amy folds her arms across her chest, looking triumphant. I reach into my knapsack once more and pull out a map of Johto. I've had it since I first visited Johto as a twelve year old. With Harley and Solidad. I savor the memory. May was there as well. That was back when times were...simpler.

"I know what we can do that sounds fun," I announce.

Amy jumps up from the chair and ambles over next to me to look at the map. "What?"

"Ever heard of the Ruins of Alph?" I point to the exact spot on the map. Believe it or not, I had never actually been there before. In previous trips to Johto, I never went sight-seeing. Contests were my life, nothing else to distract me from my goal of winning.

"No. That sounds cool." She truly looks interested, so I try to push my luck.

"Wanna go before it gets dark?" I ask, swiftly checking my watch. It is three PM. With luck, we could make it to the Ruins of Alph by six and set up camp right outside when we were done checking out the ancient site.

"Yes!"

We both look over to Beautifly and Masquerain, holding up their respective Pokeballs.

"Return," we say simultaneously.

* * *

"Did you take history back at Trainer's School, Amy?" the tour guide inquires.

"No. Dad wanted me to take coordination and teamwork classes. I never took anything _practical_..."

"Her dad's Brendan Birch," I whisper to the young man.

"Aha! And you're May Maple...I'm sorry, May _Birch_'s daughter, as well! Jolly good, jolly good. Well, let us continue."

I am absolutely fuming. _I'm_ the more famous coordinator!

"Amy, look at this slab of rock."

"Okay." She seems befuddled.

"How old do you think it has been here?"

She crinkles her brows in concentration. "A thousand years?"

"Higher."

"Five thousand years?"

"Much higher."

"A _million_ years?"

"One-point-five million years. It was first brought by the mighty Entei as a resting spot for the three legendary dogs. Can you name all three?"

"Suicune, Entei, and...Raikou?"

"Nice. Anyhow, the legendary dogs' jobs were to make sure that all was well in the world regarding their respective elements: water, fire, and thunder. Don't get them confused with Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos, however, who rule the skies of Kanto. The dogs have restricted themselves to the Earth and to Johto."

Amy takes all of the information in. "So what happened to the three dogs, now?"

The tour guide smiles. "We don't know. The first settlers of Johto, conveniently named 'The Johto People', came here about two thousand years ago. They set up their capital right by Violet City and frequently paid tribute to this slab of rock as their God. They did not know of Arceus back then."

Amy grips a golden necklace around her neck. The charm she holds on to is a familiar one. I own a similar one. It is a golden plate-less Arceus in flight. She must have been wearing May's old necklace. We got them around the same time when we visited Sinnoh. We were sixteen years old.

The tour guide continues. "They kept close records of day-to-day happenings. According to them, one of their men, a fellow tribesman named Bruto, and his Houndoom challenged the resting Entei to a battle. Bruto was an incurably conceited man who truly believed that he could defeat Entei and control the element of fire indefinitely. This was of course, before we knew the other legends of fire, like Moltres and Heatran, would come to his assistance.

"He lost soon after the challenge and Entei burned him to a crisp. Bruto, according to the records, never spoke again, and his Houndoom left him.

"Entei, in disbelief of its actions, fled and presumably forbid Suicune and Raikou to return to the spot. More often, the three legendary dogs meet at Burned Tower, which was constructed by Johto nomads around the same time."

"Wow," I say.

"That's not all, either." The tour guide winks at Amy.

"What else is there to know?"

"Ever heard of the Unown?"

"Yes!" Amy and I say at the same time.

The tour guide glares at me disapprovingly, but speaks. "The Unown have a tendency to invade abandoned religious centers. After the dogs left Central Slab, they entered and have lived here ever since. Now, not much is known about the Unown, but several theories have sprung up. One scientist from Orre believes that Unown are the departed souls of humans, their letter corresponding with the first name of whoever's body the soul once inhabited."

I shiver involuntarily. "That's creepy."

"Indeed, it is. But think about it. It seems credible, doesn't it?"

"I guess so," Amy says. "Just...weird. Like, maybe I could be near my great-Grandmother and I'd have no idea."

I shiver again. The tour guide shrugs.

"There is one section I can show you that has yet to have a theory. It's actually a code including symbols that code-breakers have actually never seen before. While they're hard at work, I can allow you to look at the puzzle. I can only imagine the history behind it."

He leads us over to a decrepit looking cave. Amy charges in and stops dead in her tracks in front of a huge slab of wood covered in tiny little characters.

"_Whoa_."

"I know, right? Legend has it that the Unown write in their own languages. Although the codes were cracked by the early Johto people, the Unown seem to be constantly updating their language as the years go on."

"So you mean-"

"-I mean they may very well still be writing on slabs of wood, stone, you name it!"

Amy looks determined. "I'm going to solve it!"

The tour guide chuckles. "Have fun, kiddo." He glances at me. "There's coffee and other drinks in the lodge if you want something."

"Alright." I call out to Amy. "I'll be in the lodge if you need me, kiddo. I want you there by seven at the latest."

"Alright, Drew."

The tour guide spins around. "Drew? Drew..._Rose_?"

I furrow my brow. "Yeah. Why?"

"This day is just_ full _of history!"

"Are you calling me _old_?"

* * *

I am just putting my lid on my hot coffee when an elderly archaeologist comes running. The supervisor trudges over to him.

"What the news?"

"Puzzle X has been solved."

"What?"

Puzzle X? I stalk over towards them and try to listen in.

"How do you know?" the supervisor demands.

"There's a huge hole in the ground and the code has disappeared. And...well..."

He pulls something out of his jacket pocket.

The tour guide's eyes practically shoot out in surprise. "I just gave a tour to a girl in that hat!"

I narrow my eyes, and then swivel my head over to look at the magnificent grandfather clock in the corner of the room. It reads seven PM.

"What now?"

"We can't send a crane in. We might break the excavation spot and ruin the artifacts. Not to mention, I leaned over the hole and called out for whoever fell, but got no answer..."

The tour guide looks pale. "So the girl could be dead?"

I start to feel slightly sick.

"It appears that the Unown have taken her," the supervisor concludes and he skulks away from the group, clutching a hat in his tight fist.

My eyes are wide. It is Brendan's hat.


	9. Father, Son, and Sacrifice

_Off from the precipice, tumbling through the air together. We stare into each other eyes, our lives flashing before our eyes. I see my baby pictures, my past contests, and the future that could have been. _

_Swallowed by the darkness of Hell. A splash and a sink. I can no longer be comfortable near water. We struggle through the current, our feet tangled with reeds and mud, threatening to drown us and bury is beneath Poseidon's lair. We thought we were going to die for sure. _

_May grabs me as I go under, fighting for oxygen. I lose it. I dream of a painless and cruelty-free existence. I am under the depths. I am on the string. _

_Thoughts dance around in front of my eyes, giving me a headache. What have you done, you idiot! Don't lose it here. She still remains out there somewhere nearby. You cannot give up now if you want a chance! _

_Or is it all just meaningless? Why bother suffering through another sixty-plus years of life when you can just float away, calmly, carelessly? I can join the existences of the stars and watch down on those not intelligent enough to join me. May would return to me eventually._

_"To be or not to be." _

_But what if I was not going above? What if I was destined for the below? For the life of the Unown?_

_The thoughts' dance continues, driving me to the brink of insanity. I have to much at risk here. I must return to life. I must return to _her.

My eyes open and see a face. I am lost no more.

* * *

"Is there anyway we can get her back? I mean, she can't be..." I couldn't complete my sentence.

"Gone?" the supervisor finished sharply. "Not forever."

The man seems to have no emotions whatsoever. He stands, solid as a stone, hard as a rock, through the strongest tides. It could be raining pitchforks and hammerheads and he wouldn't even need an umbrella. He realy is perfect for the position. The robot.

"I bet there is a way to reverse this!" the tour guide adds, pulling an ancient scroll out of his back pocket.

"And what might that be, Danson?" The supervisor is slightly affronted, but goes with it.

Danson pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and unrolls the scroll painstakingly carefully. "In ancient times, Johto peoples had catastrophes in the Ruins all the time. That's why we've excavated so many skeletons..."

I fall into a chair, my legs giving out from under me. Neither man has any tact within his entire body.

Danson continues. "But those were dated to the times during the legendary dogs, not the Unown. Only one catastrophe occured during the times of the Unown, as it reads on this scroll. Apparently, one of their own sons fell through a trap door in section twenty-three. He told his mother he found a puzzle and wanted to solve it."

"Section twenty-three? But we found nothing there! Only..."

"The Johto boy's necklace. Turns out he returned home safely after his father intervened. The Unown can be negotiated with. They don't hear languages; they understand feelings."

I ask, "So the father talked to the Unown?"

"Yes, the scribe writes that the father pleaded with the Unown, recounting all of the good and bad times he had with his son and explaining exactly what the boy meant to him."

"That's all? And they released the son just like that?" I am incredulous. It is too easy.

"Well, yes. The son returned home. But the father did not."

The supervisor says, "We found similar beads in section sixteen..."

"Those belonged to the father," Danson admits. Then, he looks sick. "The beads were found in section sixteen. The skeleton that matches the scrolls description of the father was found in section twelve."

"He died?"

"We think so. The scroll says that the Unown continually questioned how much the boy meant to the father. The father said the boy was worth his own life. The Unown heard him. In a spiral of light, the father was lifted from the ground and given two options: watch his own son die in the depths of the Unown, or sacrafice himself in the name of love. He, of course, chose the latter and drove his own battle-dagger through his heart. With another burst of light, the son returned, completely unharmed, but frightened."

"So that's it then? The Unown are the equivalent to Italian gangsters or gameshow hosts?" The supervisor has gloom in his voice, but stands tall as a tree, unswaying.

Queasily, Danson nods. "It's unclear why the Unown acted the way they did. It would be great to know, but the Unown are named such for a reason. No one knows where they came from, why they exist, not even really what they look like, if they interact with one another, how they even life in this world."

"I can't let Amy be down there alone," I say to no one in particular.

"We understand your pain, sir. We really do," the supervisor assures me. It is utter bullshit. I ignore him.

"I'm going over there."

Danson jumps in front of me as I get up from the chair. "You cannot be serious!" His ancient scroll falls to the ground but he takes no notice.

"Amy is not my child. Amy is the daughter of two of my best friends and I can't lose her. It doesn't matter what the circumstances were. I'd never forgive myself if I didn't try any means necessary."

Danson backs off, his mouth gaping open.

The supervisor cuts in. "If you are thinking of committing suicide, you cannot do it on the property. You would not believe the kind of lawsuits you would get yourself into-"

"-Shut the Hell up!" I practically spit at him. "I'm going in there to get Amy back."

I leave. The supervisor is fuming and leans over to Danson. "At least the Unown can be trusted to take him without a trace!"

Danson almost slaps him in disgust. "History may often repeat itself, but I hope the Unown take _you_ instead!"

Danson stomps out of the lodge, the scroll crumpled up in clenched hands. His knuckles are pure white. He mutters to himself. "At least the Unown surely respond to strong emotion. Drew Rose is _known_ for real emotions."

"Drew? Mom? Dad? Anyone?"

_I'm coming, Amy. I would never leave you._


	10. Drew's Story

_They were an alien race and they took us in._

_Happily they lived, united and strong. Carefree, especially. It was like their own heaven on Earth, and the two of us could not distinguish the real from the imaginary. We were still reeling from the fall, the calamity. _

_She was tall, brunette, beautiful. Dangerously thin, but naturally so. We always accused her of anorexia, jokingly. How much you grow to regret such mere jokes. She would never forgive us for anything. She was headstrong, but held grudges like the spawn of Satan. She did not have a conscience to forget and that may have been what bit us in the end. Her blue eyes sparkled and intrigued anyone whose faces they rested upon. Mine especially. _

_I seemed to be so much more...affected by her. Harley and Solidad noticed this. They wondered what we were up to. We never told them. They thought of things much worse than reality. They exchanged nervous glances. _

_"Keep her safe, Drew. Remember that we trust you."_

_Harley would linger over our love like a hawk. He said he was kidding when he called her "stupid" or "a worthless coordinator." He made fun of her often. _

_I may have been affected by her, but she was affected by Harley, more so than anything else. _

_And now we sat on the island, in the cave, and the secrets accumulated on the floor like the dealiest poison. They were there. They were murdering us. _

* * *

_**Ring, ring.**_

"Birch residence, May speaking."

"May? It's Drew. This is urgent."

May sounds uncaring. "What is it?"

"I've lost your daughter."

She springs to life. "You _what_?" Her voice explodes with fear and confusion. I swallow hard.

"We were at the Ruins of Alph exploring the puzzles and the history and the Unown took her."

"The...Unown?" May demands, disbelievingly.

I explain the legend of the Johto people and everything else Danson told me.

"So she's been taken by the Unown to die alone?"

"Essentially."

"I'm going over there." There's a motherly tone to her voice that I'd never heard before.

I am forceful. "No, you're not. You're going to walk over to your husband, you're going to tell him what happened, and you're going to waltz over to the Ruins of Alph to make sure she's okay."

"What the hell are you blathering on about? I have to save _my_ daughter!"

I make my voice even. "She's your daughter, but she's _Brendan's _daughter, too. Don't be so selfish."

"She's just as-" She starts to say something, but stops midsentence, thinking better of it.

"What?"

"Never mind. I'll tell Brendan."

"Good. And you're going to greet your daughter upon arriving."

"What do you mean?" Now she sounds angry.

"I'm going in after her and I'm bringing her back out. You may get here and only find her. But it's worth it. She's coming out alive, safe and sound."

"Are you saying-?"

"Maybe history will repeat itself, maybe it won't. I don't care. Amy is too important."

"But, Drew! You can't kill yourself for her! That would be inconceivably _stupid_! There's got to be another way-"

"No. It would be stupid to a coward like you."

I hang up.

* * *

May cluthes her stomach as she enters the living room. Brendan sits on the couch, paging through a copy of the latest _Daily GTS News._

"Oh, sweetie, look at this!" Brendan excitedly points at the Advice Column. "Some _idiot_ traded Delcatty for a Weedle." He laughs, amusedly. "Ah, it was a bug maniac. _No wonder_!"

May doesn't speak immediately, but drags herself over to him and kisses his cheek gently.

"What is it?" Brendan wonders, noticing that May carries herself differently.

She still has yet to talk, and she lowers herself onto his lap, draping his arms around her. The newspaper falls to the floor, no attention being given to it.

"Are you alright, May?"

"No."

"Who do I need to beat up?" He smirks.

"No one." She is numb.

"I thought I heard the phone ring. Who called?"

"Drew."

"Mhm. Did he upset you?"

Brendan had always been skeptical of May and Drew's past relationship. Not that he thought May was lying when she said she no longer had feelings for the arrogant coordinator from LaRousse, but everything between them ended so...abruptly. Like something strange had happened. It isn't his business, he knows, but curiosity often makes a fool of him.

May admits, "Yes." She takes a deep sigh.

"What happened?" Brendan feels like a lawyer during a direct examination.

"It was about Amy."

Brendan stiffens. If there was one thing he loves more in this world besides his beautiful wife, it's his only child. His daughter. Amethyst.

He tries to keep his voice calm and collected. He doesn't want to upset May. "And...?"

May changes the subject, suddenly. "Remember when we took Amy to the Ruins of Alph five years ago? She probably doesn't remember it."

Brendan narrows his eyes. "Yeah, why?"

"You know how, when we were there, she'd look at the hieroglyphics written on the cave walls and tell us she knew what the codes were saying?"

"Okay. What about it?"

May laughs without humor. "That seemed so long ago. Having a five year old in tow made everything and everyone seem to innocent. Well, anyway, I remember completely dismissing what she used to say. She was five years old, for Arceus' sake! She used to say that she could look at a person and know what they were feeling..."

"She had the worst temper tantrums, too," Brendan recalls.

"Yes, she did. But she kept pointing to the hieroglyphics and saying 'It was the Pokemon. They were here! They're so nice!' I thought nothing of it."

Brendan presses on. "What happened, May?"

May's eyes start to water. "I thought nothing of it, Brendan! It was no big deal, having a child spew absolute nonsense as long as I could think of myself as a good parent, a good person! And she was always such a...special child, you know?" She-she..."

May is full-on crying and cannot complete her sentence. She gulps air like a life-line.

Brendan repeats himself one last time. "What happened, May?"

"I think she did know something we didn't. I think she really could read the codes."

May sniffles. Brendan's eyes widen with curiosity out of fear.

* * *

I kneel before the central slab, my shivers not caused by the cold or the wind. I run a hand through my hair, not in the arrogant way I used to, but merely to keep it out of my eyes.

"Hello, Unown. I understand you have something of mine deep within the Ruins."

The wind howls through the Ruins more rapidly. Perhaps in repsonse?

My teeth chatter. I fight to keep them silent. "I used to love a girl, Unown. I don't know why this is relevant, but something is telling me to tell you what I know and how I feel, so I will.

"We were young, too young to understand the world. Her name was May. We traveled together, sometimes in a larger group, sometimes just the two of us. We both were coordinators, using our Pokemon to achieve higher and higher levels of vanity. Maybe that's why things got ugly. We really were monsters when we were competitive.

"I seemed haughty on the outside, but inside I was shy. I fell in love with her at first sight. We were rivals, though. You couldn't fall in love with your rival. I'd tell myself this every night. 'Get this out of your head, Drew,' I'd say to myself. 'Focus on what matters. Eye on the prize.' I dreamed of being the world's greatest coordinator. May did as well. Unfortunately, neither of us ever achieved our goals. We went far in national tournaments, but we could never topple the honor from Hoenn's own Wallace.

"I couldn't tell her my true feelings. I hid under a shell of deceit, but I'd try to clue her in. I'd hand her a rose when my feelings for her were particularly overwhelming. She'd graciously accept them. She'd try to talk to me, but I'd flee. I feared two things at the time: failure and public humiliation. Unsurprisingly, the two seemed to come to me often, hand-in-hand. My fears haunted me, and when worse came to worst, I left May to travel alone.

"That was when I was ten. When we were eleven we traveled Johto with Harley, a Hoenn coordinator, and Solidad, a Kanto coordinator. They were our most prominent rivals at time. Our competition. Our downfall.

"When I was fifteen, my feelings for May seemed to intensify: something I thought impossible. I asked her if she would accompany me to the Orre region. She agreed. While exploring Agate Village, we entered Celebi's sacred forest. A kid named Wes and his girlfriend Rui were purifying the heart of a Quilava. As they left, I was overcome with jealousy at what a perfect couple they were and I confessed my love to May. She was shocked, and she fled to Pyrite Town. I followed her.

"We stayed in the Pokemon Center that night. She said that things had become simply too awkward for us to travel together. I disagreed. Now that things were out in the open, everything would be natural. No secrets, no hidden messages, no deceit. I handed her a white rose. She smelled it and told me it was heaven. She finally admitted that she loved me. We became a couple that night. I'll never forget it."

I smile, nostalgically, but then the storm returns with twice the fire power. The wind tears at my unfeeling face. I take no notice and go on.

"We spent the next couple of days as most teenage couples do. We were alone and reckless. We were in the honeymoon period. Nothing could go wrong in our eyes. We could get to know one another later. We wanted happiness, and those two or three months were as blissful as blissful could be, for me at least. May's smile always seemed so distant, far off. She stopped looking at me in the eyes. I had a feeling she was keeping secrets from me.

"One day, we visited Harley and Solidad. They lived together in Oldale Town as roomates and friends with benefits. May said she felt sick and did not want to go, but I told her we should go, and if she felt worse, we could go home. Looking back on it, forcing her to go was the stupidest mistake of my life. May likes to hold grudges. Lots and lots of grudges. I still don't think she's forgiven me for taking her to Oldale Town that one day. I'll regret it for the rest of my life.

"Now, she held a special vendetta against Harley. I have a feeling she never forgave him for blackmailing her when we were ten. Still, it was an intense dislike. The guy was competitive, but it seemed that every part of May's being detested Harley. Solidad and I took little notice. Halry occasionally glanced at May but said nothing to her. When May and I returned to the Oldale Pokemon Center, she told me she was going to leave for a while. We weren't breaking up. We were merely taking a break.

"Neither Solidad nor Harley knew what that was about, so I decided not to worry about it. I stayed with them until I got a call from May inviting me to visit her in Petalburg, so I traveled over there. We were both seventeen. We greeted each other as long-lost lovers do. It had been a year and a half and we missed one another physically and psychologically. I think we helped each other perform better in contests.

"For another two years, we were a couple. Once again, it was a long period of time filled with little fighting and great happiness. I considered proposing, and then the worst thing happened.

"One December, she said she was going to visit Harley. I thought it was nothing more than a little strange. I knew they hated each other strongly, but they were rivals. Maybe they were talking contests, maybe May was giving Harley advice about girls. I didn't know. I never saw May after that.

"She sent me a note saying things were over between us three days after she disappeared. I was worried sick and I searched for her. I asked Harley and Solidad, and every other person I had ever met including May's parents and brother, but no one had seen her. The handwriting on the letter appeared to be hers so I gave up on the search.

"It had been more than a decade before I saw her again, but she doesn't look like May, she doesn't act like May. Now she is married and she has a kid. And, Unown, you've taken that kid. I promised May and I promised her lucky husband Brendan that I would keep that child safe and secure. It was selfish of me to want to travel with Amethyst. She resembled her mother so much that I was in disbelief. I thought that traveling with Amy would be just like the old days when we were happy. I could listen to Amy talk and we could have these amazing conversations and adventures and it would be just like old times. And it started off that way..."

The wind stops suddenly. A mirage appears.

"Drew?"

The mirage speaks to me and takes a familiar shape.

"Drew, can you hear me?"

It is Amy, but she speaks with May's voice.

"Drew, can you save me?"

"Yes! May, I love you!" I shout at the mirage.

"Wrong answer." The mirage turns a dead black and dissolves. A beam of light hits me on the forehead and I feel my feet lift from the ground.

I am in the air, spinning around uncontrollably. "May? Amy? What is this?"

"I am _not _May!" A high-pitched shriek informs me.

"No, you're the Unown! I want Amy back!" I struggle against the light that holds me airborne.

The spell breaks and I fall. Not to the hard ground by the Central Slab, but elsewhere, in the inky blackness that smells of mildew and rotten food.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

I close my eyes. I must be dreaming. I try to pinch myself.

Is that Amy's voice? I'm dead. The Unown have killed me.

"Drew. Oh, my Arceus!"

I open my eyes again and get to my feet.

"_Amy_?"

"Yes, it's me."

I feel a hand grab mine and intertwine the fingers. "It's okay, Drew. The Unown aren't ugly or cruel. They're trying to_ teach _us something!"

* * *

_Teach me a story, Creator. I'm ready for anything. _


	11. The Question of Emotions

_The most dangerous of murderers are the ones who are silent. They are crazy, but not outwardly so. They are close to your heart and so when they commit acts of treachery, you die from heartbreak more so than a bullet to the head. This a life lesson. This is something you've taught me, May. You were never a killer. You were never a lover. You were never even a friend. You were a lesson. _

_Most of all, you were a victim. _

_The way you used to tie your bandanna, you were tying yourself together, weren't you?_

_I wish I could have protected you. You were like my sister. He was like my brother, too. Who did it to you? Who made you the lifeless soul you are today?_

_I don't know what I'll do when I find out who it was, but it will be something drastic. Revenge. Revenge the cold-blooded killer deserves. _

* * *

"Why did you come back for me, Drew?"

The worst night was over. The sun, or maybe simply the mystery of the Unown, provided us the light of morning. I could see her face was tired and anxious, but certainly earnest.

"I care about you, Amy."

"I wanted to go home."

"I know."

I wonder where she is going with this, but it feels good to let go of worrying about her condition. Unfortunately, the old worry was replaced with a new one: how to escape alive.

"I'm glad I didn't go home."

"Glad? What? Why?"

"There is another puzzle to solve. It's the key to understanding the Unown. If we want to get out of here, we have to solve it."

"We're going to be down here forever," I complain.

"No we're not."

She examines the walls carefully. I am baffled as to what exactly she's looking at, but then I see that the walls are covered with little inscriptions. The indecipherable characters Danson saw on the Central Slab. The indecipherable characters seen on the puzzle Amy had solved.

Amy had solved a puzzle! I had almost forgotten about that.

"Amy, what do you know about the Unown that the rest of us don't?"

She smiles sadly, turning away from the inscriptions for a moment. "Do you think I'm weird, Drew?"

"Of course not," I assure her, slightly befuddled.

"Good. Well, then I have a secret to tell you."

"Secret?"

She walks over to me and stands on her tip-toes. "I understand emotions," she whispers in my ear.

I pull away. "Emotions?"

She nods. "Right now, you're concerned about my mental health, you're jealous of my father, you're still fond of my mother, but, mostly, you're just confused. Especially now."

I stare at her blankly. "And when were you going to tell me that you were inside my head?"

Normally, I'm a skeptic, but, given the circumstances, everything seems possible. I wholeheartedly believe Amy.

"I've never old anyone." She looks away from me for a moment.

"So you read emotions. Do you read minds, too?"

"Nope, just emotions. Now, you're a little less confused, and more anxious and curious, I think."

"Curiosity is an emotion? I thought it was part of someone's character..."

She shrugs. "I don't know. Point is, I can see that you're curious. About my weirdness."

"Your power," I correct her. "So what were you saying about it?"

She looks back at the wall. "The Unown not only perceive emotions as their language; they also write in emotion."

I furrow my brow, glancing at code on the wall behind me. "It doesn't look like emotion to me..."

"None of the best code-breakers in the world could break this code. But I could just see it and read it without even trying."

I don't know what to say to that, so I say nothing.

"You're confused again."

"You're a good reader. Very accurate."

"Thank you." She curtsies. "The best part of it is that the wall tells us how to escape."

"That's the best part? That's wonderful! Why didn't you tell me before?" I exclaim, exasperatedly.

"The worst part of it is that it's written in a riddle that I don't know the answer to." She waits a moment and adds, "And now you're depressed."

"Depressed is a good word for it. What does the riddle say?"

"On whom can the shadows never descend?"

And then I see the doors.

* * *

May and Brendan solemnly make their way to the lodge of the Ruins of Alph. Brendan throws a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders.

"May and Brendan Birch? My name is Jonas Danson."

"Hello," Brendan greets him, somberly and with an uncomfortable handshake. May nods quietly.

Danson pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and sighs. "So I take it you've both heard the news..."

"Yes, yes." Brendan squeezes May's shoulder tightly in reassurance. Her eyes are glistening.

"I'm so sorry for both of you."

Danson truly looks sincere, Brendan decides.

"We just want to know where Amy is. Whether she's okay or not. If there's anything we could do to assist the search effort..." Brendan trails off.

Danson's eyes fade slightly. "Another person was taken by the Unown last night."

Brendan raises his eyebrows.

May looks surprised. "He's not dead?"

Danson shakes his head. "As of now, he is only missing. His condition, we have no idea. But Drew is emotional."

"Emotional?" Brendan looks ever more confounded.

"Unown communicate in emotions. They respond positively to people with strong feelings. Something tells me Drew and Amy will come out just fine."

Danson smiles apologetically and runs off out of the lodge through the front revolving door.

Brendan nervously makes eye contact with his wife. He lets his arm drop and she wanders off away from him.

"Are we okay, May?"

"No, we're not okay! My child is struggling through _who-knows-what _and we don't know if we're going to find her! We _are not _okay!"

"_Our _child," Brendan corrects. "But I meant us. You and me. Our marriage."

May is slightly dismayed by his question. It is the last thing on her mind. But it is a relevant question. Lately, she knows, Brendan had not seemed like an important part of her life. Ever since Drew had arrived, actually. She has a million other things to worry about. Brendan's needs had been on practically another planet. And now she felt guilty.

"We're okay," she lies through her teeth.

Brendan runs a hand through his overgrown dark hair, revealing a large scar he received as a child. It is the reason he wears his cap. There were only two people he had ever shown the scar to outside of his family and both were close friends. May was one, and the other was a female coordinator he had lusted after ever since he lost to her at the Wallace Cup when he was seventeen. They had had a drunken one night stand at the after-party. She ripped his hat off and he had had one too many shots to notice.

Point is, the scar was a part of him. A part that embarrassed him and so he revealed it to only the most important people in his life, yet, in his haste to get to the Ruins of Alph, he left his hat at home. His scar was now on display to the general public. He tries to cover it up with his hair, but the bangs are not quite long enough. He feels naked and vulnerable.

May feels vulnerable, but for a different reason. Her marriage and her child are both in jeopardy it seems. She wonders what lengths she will go to in order to keep more safe and sacred.

A sudden hatred for Drew springs up inside of her, white hot and burning. He did this to her. She is being ripped from the inside out and it is all his fault. The burning sensation simmers in her stomach. Acid rises in her throat.

"I'm going to throw up," she tells Brendan before she runs out of the room.

Brendan worries about her and about his life being torn up from the roots. He cannot imagine losing May and he cannot imagine losing Amy. Somewhere, in the darkest depths of his being, he wishes that Drew will die in the world of the Unown and Amy will reappear, safe and sound.

* * *

When two emotions run rampant, Amy keels over in pain. She feels as though two pokers have emerged from the ovens of Hell and bury themselves under her skin.

"Drew! We have to solve that riddle," she screams.

I have to save her, I resolve. I have to get us out of here before we both lose it.

I glance over at Amy, who lies on the floor breathing hard. It seems the crazy has already begun.


	12. Theory of the Unown

_The roses from my garden grow strong and tall. I try to imitate them. Try and fail. I am always wrong around her. She rules the world and I'm always her servant. It's like playing "Princess and Maid," but I'm always the unfortunate maid. _

_She too seemed to have the almighty power over me and my actions. I turned to goo at her feet. _

_"Take this rose," I offered her. She blushingly accepted. _

_"I'm not right for you, Drew." She always said that, but I knew it was false. We were soulmates. _

_"I'm serious about you, about us."_

_"I know. It scares me." _

_"Don't be afraid." I cooed, but she only looked moreso. _

_I sighed. _

_She said, "Things don't work out perfectly in real life. This isn't a fairy tale, Drew."_

_I stared into her endless blue eyes. "I wish it could be."_

_How true the words could have been! I could look into those eyes forever and sing and dance internally as we rode off through the sunset! I could be the dragon destroying the village, the damsel in distress, the forbidden rose, the good sprites, and the knight in shining armor all at once. She would see. _

_She would see eventually._

* * *

**On whom can the shadows never descend? **

A thousand doors.

I was always a dreadful student. I insulted my teachers, never completed the work, paid little attention in class, and passed all of the tests with flying colors. I was lazy most of all. I didn't like being told what to do. I was the kid all the teachers complained about in their lounge. Funnily enough, I used to pride myself in that. I thought that I was too smart for the morons who tried to teach me about life lessons and how to be an adult.

I've never regretted anything more in my life.

Here I am, trapped in the castle alone, trying to save Amy's life, no longer caring about what happened to me. I am learning my lesson the hard way. Maybe if I'd listened to the teacher just once, not launching spitballs, not tossing paper airplanes out the window, not even taking notes. Just truly listening to her. Maybe I could have something to help me in my dire situation. Now the lesson I am learning is threatening to kill me.

This is not a test I could study for. The Unown are my teacher, handing out a Pop Quiz concerning a subject we never learned.

Amy is on the floor, sleeping. Her heart attack is over. I don't know what happened, but I was scared at the time. Truly scared. I thought I was going to lose her and I knew I couldn't deal with the pain of her loss.

Now, she is incapacitated and the cipher is just as impossible as it was previously.

**On whom can the shadows never descend? **

Perhaps I could find the answer from my past. I couldn't think straight. I wonder if the Unown could influence my thoughts. Everything seems to be buzzing through my mind all at once, preventing clear thought.

"On whom can the shadows never descend?" I say aloud, hoping deep down for help that I knew would surely never come.

After a couple more hours of staring at a wall, praying for the letters to rearrange themselves into a clear answer, Amy awoke.

"...D-Drew?" she stammers. She is freezing. I hand her my jacket which she gratefully throws over her petite shoulders.

"You're hungry," she tells me. I don't realize it until she tells me.

"That's certainly not an emotion," I reply.

"I know. Your stomach's growling."

"How long do you think we've been down here?"

"Maybe two days?"

"That sounds about right. Did you know we don't get cell phone reception?" I pull my PokeNav out of my pocket and throw it across the room. I never hear it drop, but it's just as well.

"Figures," she says. "I'm starting to get hungry, too."

"I wish I had my Pokemon," I announce. Amy gives me an odd look.

"Not for food, not for food! Geez, who do you think _I_ am?" Amy's gaze softens.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. I mean, it usually the Pokemon who can figure out how to get out of tight spots like this..."

"I know what you mean. They're like the eighth wonder of the world."

I nod. There's an awkward silence.

"This is _absolutely_ insane!" I exclaim, out of nowehere.

Amy leans against the wall covered in inscriptions. "I know. But we are learning something here. Something that all of humanity needs to learn."

"What is that, Amy?"

"Adults don't get it. We live in a world where everyone needs to get somewhere and get there quickly. There's fast food, high-speed internet, quick balls...no one has patience for anything. And waiting for things simply drives us all insane. We seem to lose it when the going gets rough."

I pause for a moment, thinking.

"I think I have an idea," she says.

"And what's that?"

"'On whom can the shadows never descend?'" she quotes.

"I don't know. If you know, I'd _love_ to hear it."

"Think about it, Drew. We're confined in a small space without food or any outside contact. Ever read 'The Lord of the Flies'?"

"No. You?"

"Actually, no. But I do know the boys all go crazy by the end."

She was on to something. "You mean, the shadows are those of _insanity_?"

"That's exactly what I mean. This is a riddle. It's a hidden meaning. You have to look in between the lines."

"Alright. What else have you got?"

She runs a hand over the inscriptions. "Well, the Unown know it's just you and me down here. They aren't stupid."

"Obviously not. If they're what Danson said they were, then they're the souls of the deceased. Some of them might know us."

"Right-o. So this riddle was made to teach us something. Presumably, you."

"Me?"

Amy gives me a hard look. "Yes, you. Remember the patience thing? You're the adult! You're the one of the brink of madness!"

"Hey, I didn't say-"

Amy interrupts me. "-That doesn't matter. 'On whom can the shadows never descend'? The answer's right in front of you. If the shadows, being the crazies, can descend on you, which of us can't they descend on?"

"You mean, you can't go crazy? But what about 'The Lord of the Flies'?"

"That was a work of fiction, Drew. Not to mention, there are two of us and we're practically family. Ths is different. You can go crazy, but I'll stay sane and I'll become the victim."

"So the riddle speaks about you?"

"Yes."

I think about it and, really, it makes a quite a bit of sense. "Okay. So we know you're the one that has to complete the riddle. We've answered the riddle. What now?"

She gestures towards the doors. "Let's go check it out."

* * *

Danson stands in front of a group of archaeologists he rounded up an hour ago. They have an important, crucial mission. It is also a mission based on a little known theory.

Danson says, "A researcher by the name of Doctor Gary S. Oak studied the Unown in his spare time in Kanto. He captured one in a Pokeball he invented himself. He called it an Unown Ball.

"In a make-shift lab, he tested various stimuli on the Unown. The Unown did not respond to thought, to music, to talking, to really anything at all. It merely floated around in its glass case. Not to mention, Dr. Oak violated about three or four Pokemon testing laws and the Unown was confiscated. No further tests were completed as no one has been able to capture an Unown since."

Danson clears his throat at the twittering in the back row of his group.

"Can you I help any of you?"

On of the younger archaeologists chuckles softly. His friend says, "Dr. Oak is a _nut job_. After his wife divorced him he's never been the same. They sentenced him to a couple weeks in the loony bin at Saffron Hospital! How can we listen to anything he has to say?"

Danson smirks. He was expecting this question.

"Sir, have you ever _seen_ an Unown, regardless,_ captured _one? I think not. Clearly, Dr. Oak knows _something_ we don't. And, on top of that, he conducted tests pre-divorce. _And_ he's a great friend of mine." Danson pauses for effect. "_And _he's here."

Gary Oak steps out from behind a curtain and shakes Danson's hand. He looks the outspoken fellows in the back, dead in the eye. "You guys should see your faces!"

Oak's voice is surprisingly deep for its nasal quality. The effect of it is quite intimidating.

"Well, guys. I'm here because I know one of the people in the Castle of the Unown as we speak," Oak begins. "His name is Drew Rose and he's an old aquaintance back when I was twenty.

"Anyhow, as Jonas told you earlier, I studied the Unown for about a year. Illegally, of course, but who cares? I learned a lot. And that's crucial for science. Let's get to know the mysteries around us, shall we?

"Unown, as Jonas may have mentioned before I got here, respond to strong emotions. That's why we doubt that Drew and Amy, both emotional people, are dead. We think they're down there somewhere, trying to find a way out.

"Unown also repsond to one other thing and this is a breakthrough discovery in the field of Pokemon reasearch. I learned this right before the Unown was released, so I could not study it further, but I am positive that my point is valid.

"Towards the end of my time with the captured Unown, my ex-wife and I fought hard over some stupid problem. I don't remember what is was. The Unown was totally unresponsive. She mentioned divorce right as my six year old daughter entered the room. Samantha did not burst into tears, Samantha did not tug on my jacket or beg us to get along or anything like a normal child would. She merely stared at the Unown, who had begun to glow and spin around violently.

"Right away, I told Samantha to exit the room and slam the door shut. As it was soundproof and lined with lead on the inside, no presence could get through it. She did, and the Unown immediately became unresponsive once again. I told her to come in again, and the Unown acted the way it did before, spinning and lighting up.

"We did this several more times, until I could safely conclude that Unown respond to children more than anything. We witnessed an Unown's sole energy: hidden power."

The room is silent. Oak smirks like a Weavile.

Danson clear his throat again. "And who actually captured the Unown in the Unown ball, Dr. Oak?"

"A kid trying to complete the PokeDex for my grandfather did. It was World Champion Ash Ketchum's daughter, Magnolia Ketchum. Maggie is nineteen years old, but was eleven when she caught the Pokemon using the lead lined Unown ball that I developed. It was experimental at the time. Projected, the Unown ball is twelve hundred times stronger than a Master Ball and will kill any other Pokemon it is used on due to its toxic nature. All Pokemon, of course, but the Unown. This is why the previous theory, that Unown are souls of people, may very well be valid. The Unown cannot be killed, simply because they are already dead.

"Regardless, one thing is true. The Unown respond to emotion, but even more so, they respond to children. This may be why they took Amy Birch."

Danson adds, "And the little boy of the Johto tribe. _The Unown are attracted to children_."


	13. Solved

_Everything would work out eventually. _

_She may have not been perfect, and I knew I was far from it. _

_We were human; we would get over it. _

_She tucked the rose behind her ears. I had made sure to smooth the stem and remove the thorns. I had to be careful. She liked to flee from me and I never wanted to hurt her. _

_"Well, I certainly appreciate this, Drew." She hugged me tightly. _

_I felt warm inside. A real, living, breathing girl, a mature girl was repsonding to me. It was about time. Except that I should have known better that things would never worked out. What with our age difference! She was practically a woman as I remained an awkward teenager torn between two different lives. My personal personality crisis. No one could know about it. _

_"I'm glad you like it, Solidad," I said, pulling her closer._

* * *

_**Ring, ring. **_

"Pallet Research Center. Samantha speaking."

"Sammy!"

"Dad! I mean, _Doctor Oak_, excuse me." Sammy's voice is slightly nasal just like her father's, but also has that matter-of-fact tone to it. It repels many people just by its quality, even though Sammy herself is incredibly intelligent for a thirteen year old.

Sammy can practically see her father grin through the phone at her comment. "How are you doing, _dearest_ daughter?"

"Just fine. Actually, fantastically. I found a leftover case Hot Pockets in your freezer. The lab assistants and I had a wicked feast."

Oak chuckles. "Tell 'em to get back to work! I don't pay 'em for nothing!"

Sammy puts a hand over the receiver and calls out, "All of you, boss says get working!"

The lab assistants rush to their respective stations.

"Gotcha covered."

"Thanks, Sammy."

"Anyhow, why are ya calling?"

Oak speaks in a serious tone. "Do you remember when you were five of the fight in the Temporary Lab?"

"Like it was yesterday," Sammy replies.

"Do you remember what was in the glass case when you walked in?"

"Oh." Sammy racks her brains for an answer.

"No pressure or anything," Oak assures her. "I just want to test a theory?"

"What?" Sammy snaps. "On memory-loss genes you and Mom must have given me? I swear, I have the worst memory in the history of the universe!"

Oak sighs into the phone at the mention of his ex-wife. "Well, it was an-"

"-Unown! I remember now. And it hidden power-ed when I looked at it."

"Precisely. And do you know how you were feeling at the time?"

"Confused, I guess. And a bit lost..." Sammy struggles to remember the specifics.

Oak pauses for a moment before saying. "Sammy, I need you to find Gramps right this minute. You two are going to use my Pidgeot to fly over to the Ruins of Alph as quickly as possible, okay?"

"Okay, but-"

"-I'm sorry, I can't explain this now, but it will all be clear when you get here."

The line goes dead and Sammy stares at the line for a moment. A lab assistant looks at her expectantly.

"Dear Arceus, that man's _off his rocker_," she mumbles to herself. The lab assistant giggles into his hand.

"What did he need?"

Sammy ignores the question completely. "When was the last time you saw Gramps around here?"

* * *

"Oh. This is a bigger mess than I thought it would be. And what do fifty zillion doors have to do with the innocence of a child?"

Amy and I are awed by the immensity of the Castle of the Unown. The hall is narrow, but seems to go forever, with identical black doors with silver handles crammed on both sides.

"_Shit_," I say out loud. Amy glares at me. "Sorry. I'm just...overwhelmed."

"And I'm not? Look, Drew. Our ability to escape is on my shoulders. I need to focus."

"I know, I know. I just wonder, what do you think would happen if we picked the wrong door?"

"Care to find out?"

"At this point, I don't care. I'm too desperate," I inform her, point-blank.

"Impatience and curiosity are the qualities of the child. Children should be taught patience and to sit still. I'm assuming the Unown are treating us like children until we lose it. Therefore, you are a child as well. You're too impatient and I'm too curious."

I raise an eyebrow.

Amy goes on, putting a hand on several doors. "The Unown are the teachers, the ones who rap our hands with rulers if we're out of line."

"So...?"

"So the lesson regards our prominent qualities. Did the Unown tell you anything before you wound up in the castle?"

I blush slightly. "Well, I told them I used to love your mother. They said otherwise."

Amy nods, unblinkingly. I turn a deeper shade of red. "They told me, though everything isn't as it seems, I should mind my own business. What happened between you and Mom?"

"We used to date."

"Date? Were you in love with her?"

"Yes."

"Was she in love with you?"

"That was always the question." I hang my head.

"Maybe yours wasn't impatience, then. Maybe the Unown were trying to tell you something else. Obviously, mine was curiosity, but yours must have been...lust!"

"Lust is a _child-like_ quality?" I snort.

"No, but _you're_ also the adult. And the Unown want the children to learn from the mistakes of the adults so that history doesn't repeat itself. Something happened between you and Mom and it was caused by your lust for her. I'm curious, so the Unown want to remind me to mind my own business. They're telling me not to wander into other people's affairs, or else I might get hurt by the shadow!"

"The shadow isn't insanity; it's...me!"

"Exactly. The Unown don't like me reading your emotions or listening to your stories. They think you're going to corrupt my innocence."

"But it would be _your_ own fall! Because of your curiosity!"

Amy summarizes, "So it _isn't _children who are free of shadows and corruption! It's people who _mind their own business_!"

My eyes lock onto hers as a door far down in the hallway starts to glow.

"We've solved it," Amy says, trying to rein in her excitement.

* * *

_Dear ancients, _

_A disturbance in the castle._

_Alert, alert._

_All stations covered. _

_The Unown have locked in victims. _


	14. Wishmaker

_"Find someone sharing your same interests. Find someone willing to share their time with you. Find someone you know and tell her you love her." That's the advice he got and that's what he did. _

_He may have been an inpatient person, but everyone he knew knew him, and so why should secrets have been kept? He wore his heart on my sleeve like a medal of honor because, honestly, it was. He saw how much he'd been through and how well he'd dealt with it. The things he wanted became his. His deepest desires were realized. He had all the women he wanted. They weren't victims; they were passions. His passions. _

_"Come back to bed, Harley. It's getting late." she told him. _

_With pleasure, he thought.

* * *

_

A clue leads to another clue leads to another clue.

Danson decides to inspect the chamber of the father. It's the upper level of the Castle of the Unown, part of the Ruins that's been open to the public since it's been completely excavated. Not anymore, Danson realizes. The chamber still holds some secrets. Secrets he needs to find. Secrets that won't reveal themselves until they are ready.

He whistles to himself, ripping out his ancient scroll. With a pang of guilt, he notices that the old parchment has yellowed and has creases in the corners due to his clumsy care. He knows he's going to get hell from the Archaeologists Society for it, but pushes the nervous thought from his head. He has to have more important concerns in his mind.

"The Father of the Johto People was found in this Chamber. His body was exacavated from the spot marked with the red X," Danson reads aloud from a placard conveniently set up at the mouth of the cave. He pulls out his flashlight and begins to search for the red X.

It's darker than usual in the Chamber. The stalagtites drip moisture onto the floor of the cave with an eerie _plop-plop_. The overheard bulbs burnt out yesterday, Danson recalls. Why didn't he change them? It was a stupid, careless thing to do. It could affect the investigation.

Of all the things Danson calls himself, obsessive-compulsive would be at the top of the list. He would never forget to simply change a bulb! Was he simply too distracted to remember or had some force possessed him and made him relax?

Danson shudders. He tries to focus. He finds the red X.

Still feeling chilled, Danson reaches into his pocket and takes out a detailed map of the Chamber.

_Snap. Snap. _

Danson whips his head around, practically giving himself whiplash. He loses his breath, but quickly regains it.

"It's just a rock falling. The place is old, Jonas. Calm down." Danson is not entirely sure, but returns to his map haphazardly.

"According to the map," Danson tells himself, "the necklace should be on display in a case right by the red X."

Danson shines the flashlight on a glass case. He can't see its contents because of the glare.

"Dammit."

_Snap. Snap. _

"What was that?"

The room gets very cold and a strong gale rips through, making Danson lose the flashlight, scroll, and map. He falls to the ground.

_CRACK!_

"Who's there?"

A startling light blinds Danson temporarily. He covers his eyes.

"Drew, what do you see?"

"Hang on Amy, my eyes haven't adjusted yet."

Danson can't believe his ears.

"Aw, crap. Is this _another_ cave?" I groan.

"Drew! Amy!"

Amy answers, "That's my name, don't wear it out."

Danson swears loudly, disbelievingly, getting to his feet.

"_Hey!_ She's a child!" I warn.

"How the hell_-heck _did you guys get out? We didn't even-"

"-Help us?" Amy interrupts. "We're not stupid!"

Danson composes himself. "Yes, well, it is good that you are alive? We must return to the lodge."

He picks up his flashlight which has rolled fifteen feet away and shuffles his scroll and map together.

"One problem, Mr. _Tour Guide_," Amy says. "We've been buried inside."

She's observant; Danson and I figure out finally. She, of course, has noticed that the exit out of the cave is nonexistent.

Danson gapes. "Mother of _Arceus_..."

* * *

"Do you want to talk about it, May?"

She shakes her head no.

Brendan looks disappointed. "Do you want me to leave?"

"Please. For now," May replies.

Brendan nods solemnly. He exits.

May watches him leave out of the corner of her eye. She clutches her purse and tugs out the first red rose Drew gave her all those years ago out. She had it laminated. He would always be with her until the last petal fell, he said when he saw what she had done. He smiled, as she remembered. It wasn't the usual micheavous smirk; it was a genuine smile.

She sings her lullaby. It's the lullaby she used to sing her little brother Max to help him sleep. It's the lullaby she sang to Jirachi before it laid to rest for another thousand years. It's the lullaby she uses to calm herself.

What ever happened to her wishmaker? Sure, she never finished it, but what if it still contained the magic, the wish? She could use a wish right about now.

She usually kept it in her purse as a good luck charm. It reminded her of the good old days traveling Hoenn with Max, Brock, and Ash. Before everything got complicated. Before all of the drama with Drew and Harley and Solidad. Before her life changed for the worst.

She pulls the wishmaker out and stares at it.

This wishmaker saved us all. This wishmaker is for every once in a thousand years. This wishmaker is for dire need only.

This wishmaker is for now.

She folds the seventh flap down and prays.

"Jirachi, I know you're asleep and I don't mean to bother you, but I really need your help. I need someone to make everything better. Someone who knows the answers. Someone who can help me get Drew and Amy back. Someone I can tell my secret to. Someone who cares."

And so she makes her wish.

"_Please_..."

* * *

Sammy pushes past Tracey and stomps up the stairs of the lab to her Great-Grandfather's office.

"Sam, he told me to leave him alone! He's in the middle of a research paper!" Tracey is annoyed, Sammy can see. Still, she knows he's a pascifist and she can get whatever she wants out of him.

"Don't care, Trace."

"Could you at least call me _Professor _Sketchit? Maybe show a _little_ respect?" Tracey scolds her.

"You're hardly a Professor, Sketchit. You have a doctorate in-"

"-_Graphic design_, thank you."

"That's the major for wimps." Sammy snorts into her hand.

"You've been listening to your father, I see," Tracey concludes. "Anyhow, don't scare the old man, alright? Heaven forbid, he's eighty-two years old. A heart attack is right around the corner... But I didn't see you, if he gets mad. I don't need to be fired now. I don't _ever _need to be fired, that is, you know what I mean-"

"Professor?"

"Yes?"

"_Shut up_." And with that, Sammy knocks on Samuel Oak's office door.

"Tracey?" Gramps inquires.

Sammy creaks the door open a tad. "It's me, Gramps."

"Samantha? Oh, do come in! I was just working on a report about how Pichu's voltage is affected by the decrease in temperature during the winter months but my _gosh-darn _arthritis just jumped my hands like a Vileplume using Stun Spore..."

"That's very interesting, Gramps, but Dad needs us at the Ruins of Alph."

"I'm sorry?"

"Ruins of Alph. Dad said to take Pidgeot. We need to be there Ay-sap."

"_Ay-sap_?"

"A-S-A-P? _As soon as possible_? Goodness, Gramps, how _old _are you?" Sammy chuckles. Grandpa Oak carefully gets up from his chair.

"Too old for this stuff."

"Dad doesn't think so."

"Your father overestimates me sometimes. Well, best find that Pidgeot in the PC Box, right?"

"I'm on it," Sammy says as she runs out of the room.

"I wish I was still young like that," Oak announces. "Tracey!"

"_It's Professor Sketchit_!" Tracey calls out from the foyer.

"Yeah, well, _Professor Sketchit_," Gramps repeats mockingly. "You're in charge while we're gone. I can only imagine the kinds of poetry I'll be able to write at the Ruins! Let me grab my jacket..."

Sammy returns with Pidgeot's Pokeball. "Got it."

"Great. To the Ruins of Alph it is."

* * *

"Is it another riddle?" I ask Amy, cautiously.

"I don't think so..." Amy tells me. She steals Danson's flashlight and shines it at the cave walls. Little inscriptions are carved into the walls. Amy ambles over to read them.

"What does it say?" I wonder.

"How would she know?" Danson narrows his eyes at me.

"Don't worry. We'll explain later," I promise him. "Can you read it?"

"Yeah, I-"

She drops the flashlight.

I feel panic rising in my chest. "Wha-what is it?"

Danson appears to be equally frightened.

Amy picks up the flashlight and points it at the wall. Danson and I hobble over to read it.

"It's in English," she says.

We see it.

_**Remember me. **_

"Why didn't I see it before?" Danson cries. "This must be written by the father from the Johto people!"

"It's not," Amy says simply.

"What?"

"This marking is new, just look at it."

I scrutinize it. The cracks in the wall look fresh and perfect. They do not appear to have been carved with a knife or anything and they appeared to be carved recently as they had not been weathered at all.

"Then, who-?"

"-I don't know," Amy says, glumly. "But I don't think this is from the Unown."


	15. A Decade Secret

_He didn't believe me and so I comforted him and told him I had to leave, while the other man smiled smugly from his one bedroom apartment, fixing his hair. He called me and told me he could no longer wait for my arrival. _

_Little did I know the events recorded previously. _

_"You've kept me waiting," he told me. _

_"I apologize."_

_"I don't like to wait."_

_"I have said, I apologize."_

_He glanced at me as if drinking in my appearance. _

_"Let's get started then."_

_And so candles were lit and festivities began.

* * *

_

Brendan never would have considered himself as someone who eavesdrops. Oh the contrary, he prides himself in his professionalism and courtesy. However, tonight is a different night and thus should not be counted. After all, he finds that his wife is on the verge of some sort of suicidal rampage and his daughter remains on a journey through hell.

Brendan shakes his head. In three days, so much had changed. It was not good change, like painting an old room a happy color or rearranging the furniture in the brick house in Cherrygrove. It was change that made life take a turn for the worst. His worries increase, making the crease in his forehead even more prominent.

Brendan misses his hat more than ever. He wishes he could pull the white, soft fabric over his eyes and ears, cutting off his senses and forgetting the world. But he is not a child anymore; he's an adult. A bona fide adult that needs to come to terms with pessimistic reality. Perhaps his daughter might not come out alive while Drew may.

Why was he now spying on his wife? She is someone whose presence he treasure over his own life. She's the subject of his lifelong obsession. He loved her when he first set eyes on her scintillating cerulean eyes, her flawless, pale skin, her thin frame. She looked like she needed someone to protect her, even since she was ten and moved to Littleroot next door to him. Brendan was more than willing to be there for her, to be a guardian should she ever need him. Lustfully, he would stare at her as she ordered on her Pokemon during televised contests. She had decided to become a coordinator and Brendan followed suit, uttery awed and inspired at her natural ability for incredible beauty.

She needs protecting more than ever. She is vulnerable.

And the dark realization that he may not even be able to prevent that nightmares from taking over? Absolutely unbearable.

Solidad had come to visit May. Solidad had been able to talk to May, when May's own husband had been forbidden. Brendan is dying of curiosity. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, curiosity killed the cat.

Brendan cautiously peeks in through the keyhole of his wife's door. It is eleven o'clock at the Violet City Pokemon Center and the hallway is deserted.

* * *

"Solidad?"

The pink-haired smiles gently at the mess of brunette hair not covered by an excessive amount of pillows and blankets.

"What's happened to you, May? I haven't seen you in _forever_."

It had been twelve years. Solidad frowns.

"It's been longer than forever," May admits. Her voice sounds dead.

"What's happened to you, May?" Solidad repeats. She's in her motherly state of mind now. Usually this mode is reserved strictly for Harley and his curling iron problems, but this is a different circumstance and Solidad is genuinely concerned.

"A lot. In a short amount of time."

"I can see that. I heard about Drew and your daughter." Solidad regrets saying this the moment she says it, but she can't take it back. There's no rewind button in life.

May groans and rolls over. "It's been a rough decade."

"Mmm," Solidad agrees.

"I haven't just past thirty. It's hit me like a freaking truck."

"Thirty isn't that bad. Try forty."

May laughs. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

Solidad shakes it off. "No worries. Getting old isn't that bad. You get wiser."

"And you start to forget people, too..."

"Forget people? You forget memories. But you never forget those closest to your heart."

May's head snaps up to attention. Something Solidad has said is nagging at her.

"What have you forgotten recently, Solidad?"

"Well..." Solidad thinks. "I try to forget the bad stuff. Breaking up with Wallace, for example. _That_ was a bad time."

"_Wallace_?"

"Yeah, we dated five years ago. Er...we _broke up_ five years ago. We started dating seven years ago to be more precise."

"I never heard about that. What happened?"

Solidad cringes at May's very direct question. Maybe she hadn't forgotten about him at all.

"We were looking for different things, I guess. I, uh, I don't want to get into it."

"So you haven't forgotten about him?" May's eyes bore into Solidad's skull like a red-hot laser pointer.

Solidad grimaces. She tries to change the subject quickly. "Um. So...uh...how's Brendan?"

"Dunno." May didn't know what to think of her failing marriage.

"Hmm."

Awkward silence ensues.

"Why are you here, Solidad?"

"I watched the news the other day and I saw what happened. I suppose I still have the delusion of being your mother. And Drew's, too." Solidad chuckles. May cracks a smile.

Solidad adds, "You know, maybe it's a motherly instinct, or, Arceus forbid, a spider sense of some sort, but I feel like I know when you need someone. I sound crazy! But, do you know what I mean? Like, I know when you need a person to hug you and tell you it's all going to be alright."

May looks at her for a while.

Solidad shurgs, trying to make what she said sound less serious. "Plus, Harley needed me out of the house anyway..."

May freezes. "Harley? You're with _Harley_?"

Solidad blushes. "Yeah. It's not like a relationship or anything. We're just friends. Why?"

"Oh, no...no reason..."

Solidad could tell there was reason, indeed, and that hung over them like a swinging blade about to be cut from its supports.

* * *

"Dad?"

Gary Oak didn't hear her. He was busy discussing the rules of the Indigo Plateau with a young, female archaeologist.

Sammy is a very impatient girl. "Dad?_ GARY SAMUEL OAK_!"

Gary Oak turns around with a start to face his daughter and grandfather.

Gramps smiles down at Sammy. "You remind me a lot of your father, but you really shouldn't call him by his full name. I don't think even _I'm_ allowed to do that!"

Oak smirks. He notices that his friend feels awkward.

"Hey guys," he says. "This is Magnolia Ketchum."

She bows her head.

"Nice to meet you," Sammy replies.

"Maggie, Maggie, to what do I owe the honor?" Gramps wonders.

"Nice to see you Professor," Maggie salutes him. "Just hanging out, I guess. I heard about the big Unown problem here and I just had to check it out. I wanna catch another one." She smiles genuinely.

Maggie has jet black, spiky hair like her father, Ash, except longer and pulled back into a loose pony-tail. She wears a white, shiny headband to keep her unruly bangs back off her face. She wears jeans and a red flannel shirt and carries a beat-up duffel bag on her shoulder. Simple, non-nonsense, comfortable. She is very pretty, however, like a diamond in the rough.

"How's Patchy doing?"

Patchy is Maggie's well-known Raichu. Gramps gave it to her when it was a Pichu as a starter Pokemon on her tenth birthday.

"Just peachy."

"That's great to hear!"

Sammy cuts in. "Not to be rude or anything, but Gramps and I came down here because you said you needed us, Dad? We got here as quick as we could expecting to, you know, _actually do something_?"

Oak holds up his hands in an overwhelmed surrender. "Alright, alright. And I needed both of you for the record!"

He leads them over to a lab desk, carefully laid out with specialized tools.

"Gramps, I'm gonna need you to take this drive. It's a USB port. I need you to download any and all info you can find in your PokeDex databases about the Unown."

He hands the piece of metal to Gramps who pockets it and runs off in search of an apt computer.

"Magnolia, I need you and Patchy or whoever to scour the grounds for Danson. He took off doing field research the other day and we haven't seen him since. I figure you know this place pretty well as it's your main area of focus as a mythical archaeologist."

"I got it," Maggie assures him.

Oak adds, "Once you find him, I want you to see if he's made any progress and..." Oak picks up a walkie-talkie, a GPS tracker, and a first-aid kit off the table. "These are for emergencies. It's a jungle out there after all."

She leaves, happily throwing the supplies into her duffel bag and calling out Patchy to walk with her.

"Sammy, we're going to be doing some tests. You're still technically a child and you're our only hope for catching another Unown."

Sammy gulps.

* * *

"I know you and Harley weren't the _best_ of friends, but..." Solidad crinkles her eyebrows.

"It's...it's personal."

"This could be important, May! Is it embarrassing? Is that why you won't tell me?"

May thinks hard about it. "Not exactly. Well, maybe a little. I don't know."

"C'mon! We're practically family! Uh...we _were_ practically family-"

"-We still are."

"Great. So tell me!"

May never in her life had seen a forty year old woman so excited about gossip. Then again, May knows her secret is pretty big.

"You tell me something first, Solidad."

"Like what?"

"Like _why _you're living with him?"

"Why were you living with _Drew_ for a while?" Solidad counters. "'Cause we're all friends that need to stick together sometimes."

May glares at her.

"Okay. So maybe we were friends...with benefits."

May gags involuntarily. Solidad blushes crimson.

"Chill, chill, May! It wasn't that often...it_...isn't _that often! It's just, you know, Tax Day or if he feels fat or something."

May gags again.

"Okay, okay, so it doesn't sound good but don't tell me that you and Drew weren't having sex when you two were living together. I mean, _come on_! You two were _made_ for one another!"

May gives her a funny look. The secret presses on her tongue, wanting to be spilled into the open.

"Not really, Solidad. We actually were pretty modest..."

Solidad laughs. "That's _Tauros-crap_!"

"Whatever. We _were_ modest."

"Alright. Fine. I told you, now it's your turn."

May turns away. "Oh, I don't know, Solidad. I don't think I should.."

Solidad gets up and sits down right next to May. "Look, May. I'm your friend. We traveled a _thousand-bazillion_ miles together with the group. If I was going to sell you out, I would have back when the dirtiest secret you kept was that you had a crush on Ash Ketchum. I proved trustworthy, didn't I?"

"I guess so, but-"

"-But what? What could be so bad that I couldn't handle it?"

The secret practically bursts from her throat.

"Harley raped me ten years ago."

* * *

Brendan double-takes outside of the door.

After all, Amy is ten years old.


	16. Greek Reality

"May, I don't know what to say..."

"It's okay. I-I just...I don't want to get into it."

"You didn't tell anyone about it, did you?" Solidad inquires.

May starts, "Uh..."

"Don't lie to me, May. Harley'd be a registered sex offender by now if you did. I bet you haven't even told your husband," accuses Solidad.

"I did tell someone."

"Who did you tell?"

"I told Drew."

"Drew_ Rose_?"

"What other Drew is there?"

"Just making sure.. So he knows, right? Why didn't he report it?"

"I told him not to. I don't think he believed me anyhow."

"How could he not believe you? How often to you go around accusing forty-year old men of rape?"

"I was mortified!"

"About what?" Solidad urges her on. May shrinks back.

"I told you, I don't want to get into it. He didn't believe me and that's that."

"But aren't you _furious _about it? Doesn't it make you _insane_ knowing that a man assaulted you like that, invaded your privacy like that and got away with it?"

"Yes, I'm furious about the rape. Of course I am! Are you _mad_? I was in rage. But then...a month or two later, I started throwing up."

"_Throwing up_?" Solidad furrows her brow.

"Yeah. I'd get sick every morning. I used to think it was food poisoning but it kept happening so I saw the doctor and-"

"-Oh my Arceus!" Solidad makes the connection. "You were...you were...oh my _Arceus_, are you kidding me? There's no way Amy is..."

"I don't know," May admits. "A week after the rape I convinced Brendan to let me stay with him. We got drunk on wine coolers one night and..."

"Okay. Do you actually know who Amy's father is, May?" Solidad looks absolutely horrified.

"Honestly, no. And I still don't."

* * *

_**Remember me. **_

"Remember who?" Danson asks.

"It's funny," I retort. "If we knew who it was referring to, we'd tell you, but, as you well know, we don't. Please, keep your mouth shut so we can figure this out."

"I just think it's creepy that this is the chamber in which the father's body was found," Danson replies sourly.

I double-take. "The father was found here? We're dead."

I'm incredibly close to giving up. We've just eaten the last of our food after all.

"You're such a pessimist, Drew," Amy says.

"That's a pretty big word for such a little girl." My tone is nasty and feel bad about what I say right after it comes out of my impulsive mouth.

Amy ignores me. "Obviously the Unown couldn't have written this and it wasn't the Johto people as it's too new."

"Okay. That sums it up," Danson says, deep in thought. "I don't know of any archaeologists or ruin maniacs or tour guides that would deface a tomb this way. Plus, I never did see this before...so..."

"It could be a prank by local kids," I suggest. I used to prank people all the time when I was fourteen...

"That wouldn't make sense," Amy states, looking at me like I'm an idiot.

"Just a thought!"

Amy paces back and forth in front of the inscription, holding her head in her hands. Danson flips through the ancient documents he keeps in his satchel. I kneel down and twiddle my thumbs a bit.

Amy said I was a pessimist. I don't think that's wholly accurate. Sure, it wasn't good to think that we were going to trapped in here for all eternity, but wasn't that simply likely? I'd call myself a realist. The odds truly are against us. It took us a long enough time to solve the first riddle. And now, being out of food and out of hope, I have a feeling we're going to be stuck here for a while. Starvation could very well be the deciding factor. The walls could cave in. Mad rampages aren't out of the question either.

"Danson, didn't you tell us that the three dogs used to live here?"

"Of course. Entei created the place. Suicune and Raikou moved in later. It was like Pokemon Mount Olympus in a way."

"Mount Olympus..." I repeat.

Then, something in Amy's head clicks.

"Greek myths! We learned them in school! Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon! That's it!"

Danson and I look at one another. "You do know that Greek myths were _myths_, right?" I question her.

"No...they were myths, based on reality!" She smirks. "The three legendary dogs correspond to the myths. Raikou is like Zeus and is in charge of the thunder. Suicune rules the seas. And Entei guards the Underworld."

Danson is awe-struck. "That actually makes sense! Think about it! And if Entei rules the Underworld..."

"...Then this is the Underworld! The Ruins of Alph! And the Unown are the souls of the dead!" I finish.

"So, 'remember me'?"

"It's got to be from Entei!" Amy exclaims.

* * *

Gramps reports to Oak.

"Did you get the data?"

"Of course I did, Gary. What do you think? I'm too old for this? Hah! I'm remember back when-"

"Gramps!"

"Oh right. Sorry. Got a little carried away there, didn't I? Well I did a scan of every entry I had tagged 'Unown,' or 'Ruins of Alph.' Found some interesting stuff, that's for sure."

"Like what?"

"Well, the last time the Unown were spotted and recorded was about twenty years ago in Greenfield."

"Greenfield? Never heard of it. Who saw it?"

"This where it gets interesting. Ash Ketchum did, along with Delia, Brock, Team Rocket..." Gramps gently adds, "And...Misty Waterflower."

Oak grimaces but quickly regains composure. "And?"

"Well, Entei is directly associated with the Unown. The Entei cannot control their power, but he can overcome it relatively easy. That's what Ash told me."

"Entei, huh? Any chance we could find him?"

"Unfortunately, no. Delia informed me that Entei sacrificed himself to seal the Unown in their castle last time he was spotted-"

"-But you just said-"

"I know. He can easily overcome the power for himself. This time, he was trying to save a little girl. A little girl he thought was his daughter. The girl's orginal father was taken by the Unown."

"Sounds familiar."

"The Unown harvest in places with history, energy, and despair. The mansion became a feast for them. But normally, they stay at the Ruins. It's like their HQ if you know what I mean..."

"Yeah. Well, that's certainly interesting."

"I called Delia, Ash, and the others," Gramps announces. "Some of them might show up later today to help out seeing as they've all seen the Unown and Entei together."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to investigate. If they arrive, ring my PokeNav."

"Yes, _your majesty._" Gramps sarcastically salutes his great-grandson.

* * *

Brendan didn't know what to say to his wife that night. What do you say when you find out just how hurt someone close to you is? Brendan had no idea what May had been through, and it made him question everything around him. How had he been conceived? What was going to happen to his marriage? What was the deal with Drew? And, most importantly, who was Amy's father?

When May had told Brendan she was pregnant after a long round of violent morning sickness that Brendan orginally blamed on poor quality sausage, he never questioned it. Of course he was the father. Who else could it possibly be?

And now, that terrible face framed by the purple hair scarred his thoughts. He couldn't get it out of his head. Harley's evil grin, his mercilessness.

Sure, Brendan and May hadn't gotten married until two years after Amy had been born. Yes, she was a bastard child. Brendan originally thought that marriage would make everything okay. Only, now it was worse. Amy could still be fatherless. The uncertainty swung like a knife in front of Brendan's eyes.

_What to do, what to do!_

It's not like he could talk to her about it. She couldn't know that he had been spying on her. She didn't know he knew everything. Well, almost everything. There were still gaping holes in May's rendition of the tale.

Brendan glances over at May who is sound asleep next to him.

"Shit," he mutters to himself as he lies down.

To sleep, to dream. Brendan needs shut-eye more than anything. It's harder to fall asleep when your life is hanging by a thread, though, Brendan realizes.

He pats his wife's shoulder as softly as he can without waking her.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.


	17. The Entei Witnesses

There were seven witnesses to the power of Entei and the Unown on that faithful day in Greenfield, not including the Pokemon. Of those seven witnesses, one was dead, two fled the country after the fall of Giovanni's Team Rocket, and one refused to leave her house.

Yes, Brock Slate was killed in a car crash three years ago while on a date with one of the Nurse Joys.

Jessie and James, members of the criminal syndicate that had stalked Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu for all those years, had to flee for the Orre region after Silph Co was infiltrated and the Goldenrod Radio Tower was raided. Team Rocket was expelled, erased. Jessie and James changed their names and lived together in Pyrite City, working as janitors at the Colusseum. At night, Jessie would re-emerge as the mysterious coordinator-her alter ego- and James would take bets on contests she entered. Meowth found a partner and settled down elsewhere. They had not heard from him since.

Ash Ketchum went on to become the champion of Kanto, his home-region, and tour the other regions, making star appearances and conducting battles in other stadiums. He had two wives and two children. With his first wife, Dawn, he had Magnolia Ketchum. Dawn, however, ran off one day with a man named Barry who had been one of Ash's early rivals. They were soon divorced and Ash married a widow named Lyra, and had a second kid: a boy named Landon. That marriage too ended in divorce. Now Ash lives alone in a mansion in Pallet Town with Magnolia, who works as a mythical archaeologist. Ash is retired, but still makes some star appearances at League events and award shows. He was once a celebrity judge for "So You Think You Can Dance-Pokemon Edition."

Molly Hale, whose father was taken by the Unown and at one point believed that an Entei was her parent, checked into a mental facility after having a stress-related panic attack. She was released from the hospital two years ago, put on ample medication, and has never left her house. The neighboring kids in Greenfield deemed her "the loony of the block." Her lawn, having not been mowed in quite a while, resembles the secret garden...or something.

Delia Ketchum was a grandmother. She too lived in Pallet Town next-door to her only son. Her old husband and Ash's father, Giovanni, sometimes came to call, but she always ignores him. He was a mistake, one she'll never make again. How was she to know that he'd be the most powerful crime-lord ever to rampage the Kanto-Johto sub-continent? It wasn't her fault, but she is determined now to remain single. She still kept good contact with the Oaks, the Waterflowers, the Slates, the Maples...just about everyone her son went on his journeys with, and often invites them over for tea.

Misty Waterflower...well, Dr. Gary Oak doesn't like to talk about her. His first love, his first marriage, his first heartbreak.

It is Ash, Delia, and Misty whom Gramps invites to help the investigation of the Unown. Of course, he doesn't tell any of this to his grandson. He is not an _imbecile_, after all.

* * *

Oak looks his only daughter hard in the eyes. He then hands her an new, improved version of his Unown ball.

An unpatented prototype, the Unown ball was originally invented by Gary Oak over six years ago. He started with a normal Pokeball and tampered with its outer seal, coating it in light-weight titanium, a layer of solid layer, and more light-weight titanium. The result was a very heavy Pokemon capturing tool indeed, but one with a higher capture percentage than a Master Ball by ten times. The ball was never meant to be carried around, of course. An Unown could never be used as a battling pokemon! The Unown ball was made to capture Unown for scientific research reasons. Oak's own scientific research reasons. No other scientist in the world knew about Oak's creation.

"Geez, this is kind of heavy. I don't think I can throw this at a Pokemon like I could a Greatball, Dad..." Sammy complains.

Oak massages his temples, trying to relieve the migraine he knows is on the way. "That's the tool you have to use for catching this Unown, Samantha. That's all we have. The Unown are called 'Unown' for a reason; we don't know shit about them."

"_Watch your language_!"

"Sorry. Whatever. Anyway, I have no idea how to catch an Unown. I've never done it...but Maggie has. Go out to the Ruins, find her, and gets some tips. Other than that, I'm sure it's based on instinct."

Sammy nods, slipping the Unown ball into her backpack. She then slips a rubber band off her her wrist and ties her uncontrollable ginger hair into a high ponytail. She only does this on rare occassions that require actual brain power, not school, not chores, nothing like that. Only these intense situations that her dad finds an obscure job that Sammy and no one else can complete.

Gary grabs his daughters thin shoulder and adds, "I need you to be careful out there, Samantha Brooke Oak. The Unown have already taken two victims this week. You're thirteen years old; you've got a lot of life to live. That's life you'll miss out on if you're not cautious. Don't let anything get you. "

"It's okay, Dad," Sammy comforts him.

"Take a walkie-talkie, alright? And call me right away when something happens, whether it's finding an Unown, tripping over a tree branch, hearing something funny...anything! Just let me know what's going on. You're our only hope for getting to know this ancient species, Sammy. Don't let us down."

"I won't."

Gramps ambles over to his grandson and puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder as his great-grandaughter runs off into the jungle that is the Ruins of Alph.

"She'll be okay, you know." Gramps squeezes Oak's shoulder warmly.

"I know. She's headstrong...just like her mother."

Oak turns away and returns to his makeshift laboratory. Gramps smiles sadly and trudges over to the lobby, where he will await his guests.

* * *

Magnolia hears muttering inside a collection of boulders.

"This used to be a chamber. Did it cave in?"

She remembers the Ruins clearly from when she traveled it back when she journeyed through Johto for the first time nine years ago.

There had to have been a chamber here. Magnolia couldn't imagine it otherwise. She grabs her walkie-talkie.

"Yo, Oak? I think I've found something."

Oak responds immediately, excitedly. "Yes, Yes. What is it?"

"I swear to Arceus there used to be a chamber right where I'm standing. Could you send out one of your guys with a map or...I dunno, brains full of memory or something? I just want to make sure."

"What's so important about the site?"

"Well, it sounds like there's activity inside. Maybe a trapped Pokemon. Maybe the Unown."

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Danson calls out to his chamber-mates, Amy and Drew.

"Hear what?"

"I might be going nuts, but I hear a beeping and a mumbling right outside this wall."

"What?" Amy stares at him in disbelief. "People, do you think?"

"Only one way to find out," I smirk, then I yell as loud as I can, "HEY! SOMEONE? HELLO?"

We all close our eyes for a minute, dead-silent. This time, I can hear the mumbling and beeping that Danson was referring to.

"Do you think...?" Amy wonders.

"I'm sure there are people out there!" Danson declares. "And they can't be tourists. The Ruins closed after Amy was taken as you well know. They could be rescuers!"

"Rescuers!" Amy exclaims.

* * *

"_HEY! SOMEONE? HELLO?_"

Magnolia almost drops her walkie-talkie.

"Oh my Arceus! There's someone in there!"

She flips on her walkie-talkie again. "Oak? Hello?"

"Yes?"

"I need you to send your people right now. I think I've found Drew and Amy."

"Are you sure?"

"Who else is trapped in a cave, not dead, and speaks English?"

"Point well made. Give me five minutes to round up a good crew."

"Thanks. And hurry!"

Magnolia shuts off her walkie-talkie and puts her ear as close to the cave as she possibly can. She can hear muttering and whispering inside.

She shouts, "DREW? AMY?" as loud as she can.

"AND _JONAS_," comes the reply.

"THIS IS MAGGIE!"

* * *

"It's Magnolia!" Danson jumps up and down in joy.

I am confused. "Who's Magnolia?"

"Magnolia Ketchum. She's a mythical archaeologist. I know her from her work on the Bell Tower and its connection to Ho-Oh. I've read every book she's ever published. She's only nineteen, you know-"

"-_Creepy crushes_ aside," I interrupt him. "She must be working at the Ruins."

"Well, she is currently investigating the Unown. She's known to have caught one. Gary Oak told me so."

"Gary? I haven't sene Gary in-"

"Drew, we can't get into this. She can help us get out!"

Danson agrees. "Exactly. She's sharp as a Scyther's blade. We're in good hands if she's on the investigation."

* * *

Gary Oak, along with three young researchers working for Johto Parks and Recreation Board, rushes out of the Lodge at full speed, his lab coat billowing out behind him like a cape. His walkie-talkie remains securely tucked inside his right pants pocket.

"She's out by the Father's Chamber," Oak informs his companions on the fly. "Section twelve. What do any of you know about section twelve."

"That's where the body of the Johto man was found."

"Precisely. Maggie told me that the chamber there has sealed itself."

"Sealed itself? But it's stood open like that for a thousand years at least!"

Oak sighs. "There are things going on in these Ruins that we cannot explain. What we now know is that there are three people trapped in section twelve. Historic property or not, we have to rescue them one way or another."

"But that's against the law of-"

"It doesn't matter if there's a law! There's a ten year old girl in there along with a tour guide and a retired star coordinator. If we don't get them out, they're going to die in there. Keep in mind that this whole mess is being broadcasted via helicopter to the entire world. This is the new Chilean miners story!" Oak motions to a helicopter above, carrying a camera crew.

"I understand."

"We'll be possibly destroying ancient artifacts and sites, but we'll have to deal with it. Human lives are worth more than history as human lives create history. Everyone with me?"

"Yes."

"There's a dent in the wall," Magnolia tells herself, gliding a hand across the textured rock surface on the Father's Chamber.

Oak and company arrive on the scene. Magnolia stands up and walks over to them.

"They're in section twelve. I don't know how they're trapped. There's no distress on the boulders. It couldn't have been a rock slide or a cave in. And I checked to make sure It wasn't a Golem or Graveler, or, Arceus forbid, Onix, taking a nap. That would have been embarrasing if it was."

"Alright," Oak says. "Have you examined the rock closely?"

"Yes. There's a large dent in the front, but otherwise, the rock is totally solid."

"A depression in the rock, you say?" Oak ventures over to the Chamber and feels the side. "Yes, there is."

"What can we do, Dr. Oak?"

Oak hesitates. He can only think of one possible solution.

"There are three living, breathing humans in there. Based on how long they've been in there, I can predict that without food or water, they've got another two days before they die of thirst and/or hunger. That gives us a short time to find a way to get them out. Now, we cannot simply drill through the wall or the entire structure will collapse and we could kill them. However, this dent is a clue. This is another trick by the Unown. Secret Power. That's what it is, but not just any Pokemon can perform it."

Magnolia gives him a funny look. "Then _what_ do we do?"

"Gramps...I mean, _Samuel Oak _has invited three survivors from the Greenfield mansion incident."

The group mutter to one another, nervously.

Oak looks around at all of their faces. "Entei is our solution."

* * *

May wakes up late, after Brendan had left for work. Amy or no Amy, Brendan still had a duty as a Teacher of Coordinating at the Trainer's School in Goldenrod City.

Sifting through her bag, she finds her old wishmaker, all flaps down and hugs it to her chest.

"Thank you Jirachi. I needed to tell someone and you helped me. I divulged my secret. The pressure's lessening. But still, I worry."

She gulps. "Brendan can't find out about this; it would break his heart. I should have told him, but it's too late now. I don't even know who the father is! I guess I never wanted to know, being afraid of the answer. I'm not sure I want to know now. It's not important to me what Amy's lineage is exactly. As a mother, all I can wish for is that she turns out to be a lovely and kind woman. I hope she is my exact opposite. I want her to be honest, but emotional, beautiful, but deep, and intelligent, but humane. Please, don't let her suffer through her own mistakes the way I have."

Maybe her wish would be granted. May could only hope so. Jirachi had assisted her once when she most needed it. Maybe her prayers would be heard again.

* * *

Gramps watches as three adults enter into the Lodge.

One, the oldest and female, limps in through the automatic doors, leaning on a cane. Her hair, which used to be a beautiful brown cascading down her back in a loose braid, now hangs over her shoulders and has faded to gray.

The next is a raven-haired, tall, muscular man, looking to be in his early thirties. He wears a black t-shirt and faded jeans. He is fairly tanned and wears and dumb-looking smile on his chiseled face, but his expression overall is sincere. He is ambitious and courageous.

The last is less confident. She walks like a survivor. She is alert and cautious. She might have been pretty at one time, but her face is lined with misery and her orange hair has lost its fiery hue and is limp in her side pony-tail. She is pale as a Togetic and has a melancholy aura.

"Delia, Ash, Misty," Gramps begins. "Welcome to _Hell_. I hope you enjoy your stay."


	18. Nirvana of Hope

"What can you tell me about the Entei at Greenfield?" Gramps asks Delia, Ash, and Misty.

Delia stands tall, confident, and has a fire in her eye that only Ash's irises would imitate. Misty stands slumped over, a ghost of her former self. Ash gets easily distracted.

"He wasn't real," Delia answers. Short, sweet, and to the point. As usual, she figures that she must do the talking. Misty is a bit of a debbie-downer, and Ash...well, Ash got Giovanni's genes.

"Are you positive?"

"Yes. He was a dream, a figment of a child's imagination. We were in a dream world, the castle of the Unown. They can read people's minds. You told us that."

Ash nods. "The Entei was all powerful so long as Molly believed he was."

Misty glances around restlessly.

"Ash battled him," Delia adds.

"Yeah," Ash smirks. "I couldn't come close to beating him, even with Charizard! You saw it on TV, Professor Oak, didn't you? He had practically infinite strength, but only what Molly wanted. He was inhumane when she wanted him to be, but when she felt pity, he was merciful."

"He granted her every wish, no matter how fanciful," Misty says in her dead voice.

"Aha," Gramps says. "And how did the imaginary Entei defeat the Unown?"

"They weren't defeated," Delia interjects. "They simply left. Presumably, they returned here."

Gramps smacks himself on the forehead. "I should have remembered! I'm getting _old_."

Delia smiles knowingly. "And more handsome."

Gramps blushes violently. Ash gags. "Mo-om! _T-M-I_!"

Misty clears her throat and the conversation returns to its serious tone. "I battled the Unown, personally. They're invincible if they've built up enough psychic energy. It's possible to defeat them in small numbers, but the entire Ruins of Alph?"

Ash agrees. "The Unown collapsed on themselves at Greenfield. They respond to emotions and so do their creations. When Molly told Entei to end everything, he did if she believed. He, a creation of the Unown, could overtake the other creations."

"Everything was an illusion," Delia concludes. "And the Unown have their weaknesses."

* * *

The conversation is short-lived. Many of the people in it are strangers to one another.

Misty and Ash used to be the closest of friends. Then, Ash went off to go be a Pokemon Master, leaving his mother at home alone except for her Mr. Mime, and Misty to tend to Cerulean Gym while her sisters went off to make it big as movie stars.

They never quite reconnected. Ash has a feeling everything went sour when Misty abruptly married his first friend and oldest rival, Gary Oak. Ash always lusted over Misty from the time he was thirteen on. She was somewhere in the back of his mind at all times, it seemed. And then, she was off his radar for quite some time, honeymooning and doing all sort of things with Oak that he didn't want to think of.

Ash, during that time, had been married twice, and hardly remembered any of it. All he could think of was how the fiery ginger had slipped away from him. It had started back then, and continued now, bothering his conscience like a fly that couldn't be swatted away. He would never forgive himself for his cowardice. He still has yet to inform Misty of his true feelings.

Delia, on the other hand, was declaring to Ash that he was adopted until one day he felt the need to go into the First National Saffron Bank safe deposit box to retrieve his birth certificate.

He was the son Giovanni Rocket and Delia Ketchum.

He had never forgiven her for witholding the truth for all those years and she has only herself to blame.

* * *

"Illusions," Gramps informs his grandson via walkie-talkie.

"Illusions? They create illusions?" came the incredulous reply.

"Do you remember Professor Hale from when you were a mere child?"

"Of course I do. I was at his funeral!"

"Good. He was sucked into a distorted reality after coming across the Unown tiles. They're ancient runes that-"

"-_I know what an Unown tile is_, _Gramps_!" Oak spits out, annoyed. "Anything else?"

"Yes. Back in Greenfield, Entei wasn't the solution to the problem. Entei was a side effect. Molly Hale dreamed up a reality in which Spencer was an Entei because of a fairy tale he read to her. Everything, every event that occurred that day, was a result of her...overactive imagination. Something's controlling the Unown: something or someone who wants to teach Amy and possibly Drew a lesson."

Oak is silent for a time, mulling things over.

Gramps, exhuasted by the silence, continues. "My ultimate point is that the Unown have one simply weakness: themselves. If you can find a by-product of the Unown's rage, you can use it against them. If you can put a rift through their psychic energy, everything falls apart!"

Oak's face lights up. "So we must find the source?"

"Precisely."

* * *

Sammy crawls under a large black of stone on all fours, dragging her backpack after her. She listens to her father and her great-grandfather on the muffled walkie-talkie.

"Hmm, the noise might scare away the Unown," she says to herself, and promptly switches off the device.

She's been weaving through the Ruins for the better part of three hours and is beginning to get tired. She thus plops herself down next to her bag, leans back against an ancient wall, and rips open a granola bar that's been stashed in her supplies for more than six months. It's practically hard as a rock.

Sammy grimaces, but swallows the stale grain down. When she's hungry enough, she doesn't care what she shovels down her throat. It's something she got from her father.

Food is a time for pondering, at least for Sammy. Being all alone makes her muse about all things in her world, and things in other worlds, and everything in between. This makes her unique. Almost like Amy Birch, Sammy is remarkable mature for her young age. Perhaps being a Pokemon Researcher causes this for her.

She wonders about Amy, Drew, and Jonas Danson, the beautiful strangers. Who were they? Would she ever see their faces in her life? Would they make it out living, breathing?

Mostly, she was curious of Amy. How could someone younger than her get along so well inside such horrid conditions? Sammy thinks to herself about how she doubts she could do the same. Sammy reckons she would probably go crazy, being cooped up without much hope of survival. Her father, after all, had said they had about two days left to live if they couldn't find the necessities: food, water, et cetera...

Sammy chews on her granola bar extra carefully, slowly, quietly.

A humming sound seems to be in the distance, around a corner, inside some dark, unpleasant place.

Sammy, throws her granola bar away and sits still as a board, ears straining in attempt to find the source of said humming.

It seems to be emanating not too far from her spot. On tip-toes, Sammy silently gathers her things and follows the disturbance of the peace.

* * *

A Johto Parks and Recreation officer sprints in through the automatic doors of the Lodge and shouts to anyone listening. "We've made contact with the victims!"

May is out the door before Brendan even looks up. Ash, Misty, and Delia rush out to the Ruins. Gramps follows closely behind. Solidad wanders out shortly after.

Brendan stays in his seat for a bit, sighs loudly, puts down his newspaper for the last time, and calmly walks to the Castle of the Unown.

* * *

"Where is my daughter? _Tell me_!" May screeches at Gary Oak.

Now, Gary Samuel Oak is not and has never been on to tolerate screaming and hysteria. Which is why he replies, "Calm yourself, woman."

May looks disgruntled, but says nothing in rebuttal.

"Now, then. We have made contact with the people inside of this rock." Oak knocks on the closed cavern with his largest knuckle.

The group remains dead-silent for three stressful seconds as a knocking seems to come back out of the cavern, muffled, but certainly a reply.

Oak says, "Now, we have identified the people trapped inside as Drew Rose, Amy Birch, and Jonas Danson. Unfortunately, we still have not yet came to a solution as to how to free them from their current confines." Gary looks away from the cavern and towards the crowd. He notices a redhead looking at her feet and stops abruptly.

Gramps raises an eyebrow at first, but then realizes the contact that has been made. "Shit," he curses.

Delia hears him. "What?"

Gramps points to Misty, who is now staring right back at Oak defiantly.

"Oh."

Oak falters, as his ex-wife's glare hangs in the air and he finds no words that will express his message. In fact, he doesn't even remember his message. "My...uh...Samuel Oak will...continue to...er, inform you of the current situation." Oak's voice sounds dazed and distracted. The crowd seems to notice and becomes suspicious.

Gramps jumps right in to take over.

Oak trudges into the crowd to listen to his grandfather, a man of over ninety years, speak to the worried people, people that had all been affected in some way by the current disaster. He glances over at his ex-wife. He catches her staring at him apprehensively, and she quickly averts her eyes nervously.

_How things have changed_.

They used to look into each other's eyes, pupils full of love and care, and now...nothing. No sparks, just despair, melancholy,...nostalgia.

"...And so the Unown are only to be disrupted if we can turn them against one another..."

Misty finds herself side-stepping towards her ex-husband. She can't help it; its an undeniable attraction and fascination.

Oak feels the same sensation. Maybe its some undiscovered human emotion that two grief-stricken individuals naturally cling to one another during times of darkness...or was that simply empathy?

"...Secret power, as we have discovered, can help us along the way. The projected Entei had incredible power in using this move in Greenfield. Now human emotions..."

Let Gramps' voice drone on.

Misty had been lonely all on her own, finding comfort in the rhythm and motion of the ever-expanding sea and its connecting horizon. The Pokemon she had became not only friends, but family. Her only family that could reciprocate her feelings. Her sisters and their issues became a thing of the past. Gary understood this all that time ago.

Oak was lonely as well, consoled by his daughter as he had custody over most things that Misty had once shared with him. Consoled by his work until it had become obsession, biting, scathing him, and thus becoming his own personal Hell that he could never escape from. His life surrounded it, and yet he wished nothing more than to pull himself away from test tubes and lab coats and return to the Great Outdoors, perhaps shedding his shirt and feeling the sun burn his back as he ran barefoot through lush grass of Pallet Town as well.

_How things continue to change. _

The closer they moved, the more they understood. Humans may be unique, but they share on thing in common: comprehension, feeling, emotion all tied together to become morality.

Misty and Gary understand solace and understand differences. And finally, understand need and their need for one another in some degree.

"...And so we must find the source! This is central to the rescue mission, and we cannot get them out of there my simple means. We are delving into sciences beyond the wildest dreams of even the brightest minds of our world..."

Tension. Pity. Apathy. And then...enlightenment.

Two knowing hands find each other out of the abyss.

"...So everyone, let's help Drew, Amy, and Jonas. Let's put everything we have into this! Let's save lives!" Gramps really knows how to get a crowd going.

The two hands intertwine and squeeze one another, reaching nirvana, the top of the pyramid, the goal.

"It's all okay, Misty. I forgive you."

"And I, you."

_How things change now._

* * *

Amy, Jonas, and I hear the enormous cheer from outside the stone wall.

"They're going to save us," Danson murmurs.

"We're going to escape," Amy whispers.

"There's hope," I conclude.

_Hope, the last barrier_.

* * *

A message changes everything. An incredible message. An awesome message...

Sammy's message.

"Dad? Dad? _GARY SAMUEL OAK_?"

"Yes?"

"If we're in the castle of the Unown...well, I've found the_ royal court._"


	19. Sammy's Turn

**Author's Note:**

Here are the charges the characters of "Wonders" and I have received over the course of eighteen chapters:

-Adultery

-Kidnapping

-Rape

-Murder

-Vehicular Manslaughter

-PEDOPHILIA (This seems to be a recurring one)

-Underage drinking

-Sexual Assault

-Beastality

...Among others.

Thank you to anyone that has been following the story loyally. I appreciate your reviews and encouragement.

This is one of those stories that I don't care about the popularity of. This story has been getting me through some tough situations at home and school. It's not a story that I have written out previously or that's cliche. This story is written from the heart and reflects whatever mood I am in as I write a chapter. I'll write a funnier dialogue when I feel good, and a melancholy description when I feel like crap. Amy and Drew were trapped with the Unown because I felt trapped at that moment in time. But remember that there's hope; there always will be hope much like a light at the end of a long, decrepit tunnel. Misty and Gary's relationship represents the uncertainty I feel towards my own acquaintances. The thing to remember there is that "the ones we love never truly leave us," in the words of Albus Dumbledore.

To address the people that expected ample, fluffy contestshipping: this story is labelled hurt/comfort and friendship,_ NOT ROMANCE_. I really tire of some people's incessant criticism about how little contestshipping there is in this story. Drew and May aren't going to end up shagging like teenagers on the couch in the Lodge. This story is about the weird ways that love works and how even the most perfect relationships don't always work out. Minor characters like Oak, Ash, Misty, and Brendan become important because they teach Drew this lesson.

If you don't like that this story isn't as fluffy and OOC as you expected, then there should be a red X at the top of your screen. Please, don't be afraid to click it and maybe find another story that's written more to your liking.

Anyhow, I guess the whole point of my author's note was to thank everyone that follows the story of Drew and the story of my existence so closely and with such positive criticism. Keep on keeping on, guys. XD

Any questions, feel free to inbox/email me. I'm happy to answer any and all of them.

And with that, I bring you the next installment of "Wonders: The Tale of Drew and Amy."

-SF

* * *

_We have taken a step into the unknown...literally._

Oak stands with his daughter in the face of thousands of black letters with large black pupils. Oak can spell his name, practically infinitely. He can see the letters O-A-K over and over again.

As Meowth of Team Rocket once described the Unown, "They look like alphabet soup." Oak couldn't agree more.

It is disorienting, to look into an abyss of creatures deemed legendary, recluse. Oak finds himself a but light headed, tipping over slightly at such a sight. They figures, billions of them it seems like, circle over and over again around a ball of white light, not too different from a dwarf star.

"Hidden power," Sammy tells her father. Oak nods in agreement, in awe.

Sammy and her father are alone. It is too dangerous for anyone else.

The murmuring Sammy heard earlier continues, low and incessant. Sammy wonders where it comes from, seeing as the Unown don't seem to have anything but eyes, and nothing to speak out of.

Perhaps there are some mysteries that will never be solved.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"What now?"

Oak almost burst out laughing. All this change! From lowly Pokemon scholar, to televised and respcted scientist, to reconnections with past loves, to discovery, Oak could barely get his head around the events of the past couple of days. And now, everything seems to be exactly how it should, and Oak has no idea what the hell to do next.

Oak puts an arm around sammy's shoulder. "I have no idea."

"Ugh," Sammy complains. "You're the Professor of Obscure Unown legend and folklore! This is _your_ jurisdiction! And now you don't know what to do, Dad?"

Oak is shocked by her reaction.

"People are dying, Professor Oak. We have to do something about it! We have to put an end to this!"

Oak replies, somewhat annoyed. "Samantha Brooke, I am doing _everything_ I can to save the victims! How dare you accuse me of-"

Sammy loses it. "-I don't care! You're standing here watching the Unown like you're at a freaking _art museum_. People are_ dying_! There's a _ten year old _in there! I bet you're more worried about all of the Ruins' archaeological value than of the three people stuck in the chamber without food, water, or light!"

"Samantha!"

"My name is _Sammy_!" she snarls.

"Sammy, I-"

"Don't tell me you're trying! You're not! You're more concerned about Misty showing up here than you are about Drew or Amy or that tour guide!"

Oak is taken aback. Sammy's comment is true, after all. Misty seems to be the center of his thoughts. The point about which his universe revolves.

"If you're not going to do anything about it, then I am! I'm a child, I can influence the Unown, and, Dad, I have a lot of emotions. That might be the one thing Misty gave me that I _actually_ appreciate!"

Oak's anger flows in. "Don't you _dare_ talk about your mom that way!"

"She's my _mother_, not my _mom_. She doesn't care about me anyway. If she did, she would have stuck around."

Oak's voice turns nasty. "Maybe she should have, because clearly I haven't raised you right."

"You're inhumane," Sammy says, turning away from him and looking into the hidden power of the Unown.

Oak starts to feel remorse for what he has said. He hasn't meant to hurt his only daughter, his only nuclear family. "Samantha, please..."

"My name is _SAMMY_!"

"...Sammy..."

"No. I can do this! I'm going to save those people, those victims!"

Sammy takes off before Oak can stop her.

Life has been an emotional roller coaster for Gary Samuel Oak, that's for sure, but this time the car has flown off of the tracks in a death spiral.

For the first time since the divorce was finalize, Gary Oak finds that he is crying.

* * *

_If only this was a dream world..._

Sammy's emotions are going haywire and she knows it. She climbs out of the Unown chamber and sits on a rock to think. She doesn't have food this time, and so the whole process is that much more difficult on an empty stomach.

_What to do? _

Sammy always thought of her father as a Raikou.

Raikou is never a large part of legends, even though Raikou represents Zeus is Greek mythology. Raikou is known to disappear for extended periods of time, and return with the vengaence of a thunderstorm. Often, Gary Oak would go off on expedition, only to come back with more frustration than ever before, frustration that always directed at the same person: the only person to stand by the professor no matter what. That person is Sammy.

Sammy never had real parents. More often than not, she hung out with Gramps and Tracey.

"What if, for one day I could have a real parent?" Sammy mutters to herself selfishly, tears running down her cheeks. "A parent that could teach me right from wrong, to learn from my mistakes, and to always be there for me? I've never had a mom or a dad that cared about anything apart from his or herself. Just for a day, I want it to change. I want to be the hero, now, but I want an advisor. I don't want to do everything alone..."

* * *

Oak looks on the Unown become disturbed.

The white hidden power turns an angry red and the peaceful circling turns to violent, sudden dancing. The murmuring turns to shouts of rage.

"_Unown! Unown! Unown!" _

"Oh my Arceus!"

Oak tries to flee but is caught is the attempt. An invisible hand reaches out and grabs him across the middle before he can reach the exit. He struggles against the invincible bonds but is dragged towards the Tarrentella and eventually the red light.

"Sammy!" he yelps before the light gobbles him and so he loses himself in another dimension.

* * *

"Something's just happened," Amy tells me, eyes closed in deep concentration.

"Something? Like what?" I wonder.

Danson isn't paying the slightest bit of attention.

Amy goes on. "It's an emotion. It's weird though. Like, there's a lot going on at once?" She struggles to pick things apart. "I see anger...love...regret...loss...hope...determination...all at once..."

"Any idea who it is?"

"No. I don't."

* * *

_There was a time, a long while ago, when I could look into her eyes and see fire and ice at the same time. Internal struggle. Every touch, every kiss, she had to mull over. She was scared, she was inexperienced, not that I was any better or anything. She was anxious more than anything, afraid that she would be too skinny one day and too fat the next. I always thought she was perfect and voiced my opinion as much as possible._

_Maybe that was overkill. Maybe we were too physical. I loved her...I still do. But I won't be able to tell her if I never get out of this cavern. _

_That's something the Unown have taught me more than anything, now. You can't wait for everything. Life is short, but love is everlasting. A crush doesn't go away; it leaves a mark...a scar. _

_May's left a huge, ugly scar that covers my face and repels any other being. I only need her. _

**_Something's keeping me from her. _**


	20. Melodramatic Hunger and Conclusion

_**Remember me. **_

I remember you, May. I remember everything. I remember the good and the bad. I remember our emotions and lack thereof. I remember our triumphs and pitfalls. I remember your face, the way it used to light up when you battled me. I remember the way you treated your Pokemon, like your very own children, tenderly, lovingly, as compared to my own dictatorship. I remember your aversion to Harley and your guardianship over Max. I remember the way you used to get so homesick after you called Norman and Caroline. I remember the way you used to dote over Ash Ketchum when we were ten years old, before he broke your heart and went after that Dawn girl.

I remember you, May, and I'll never forget you. Never, for as long as I live.

Is that what the lesson is, Unown? Sure, you've told me to mind my own business, and surely I can do that. I used to be this arrogant, conniving little boy, bent on other people's ultimate descruction, but everything changed when I met the girl of my dreams: May Maple.

I have May's daughter, May's precious daughter, May's only daughter with me. I am being tortured. This may simply be an extension of Earth, but to me, it's Hell. Nothing could be worse.

They said they could rescue us. They were just saying that. Things are hopeless.

Secrets are being kept from us.

Love never dies, that's for sure, but I knew that already. I figured that out when I elected to travel with Amy, to protect the very being that insured that I would never be with my soul mate.

I feel everything for May. Familial love, of course. She was practically my sister when we were twelve. Lust, certainly, ever since our first date. Friendship, as we've been the best of friends for as long as I can remember, with some rivalry in between. Most of all, sympathy.

Maybe that's the strongest feeling of them all.

During the dawn of man, homo sapiens was a species like all others, Danson had assured me. We all lived with Natural Selection or Survival of the Fittest. There were no ethical law codes until the Rise of Judaism. Humans were selfish beings, and it was every man for himself.

I can't imagine a world like that. What were humans more than another type of animal? Alakazam have a thousand times the brainpower, Wailord have a thousand times the size, Machamp have a thousand times the strength. Pokemon like Primeape could be absolutely ruthless, tearing us apart limb from limb. Vileplume and Gloom spewed their noxious gases all about the world. Victreebell gobbled down prey without a second thought.

What did humans have that put them in charge? Couldn't have been strength, size, brains...or anything like that.

It was initiative.

Sure a Pokemon could do anything a human could do ten-fold. They had emotions just as acute if not more so than a human's. But when a human saw an opportunity, he jumped on it. Humans could adapt to everything better than Pokemon, and so the humans evolved until they could control the Pokemon.

Most of the time, I should say.

Today was the prime example. Pokemon don't have moral codes. The domesticated Pokemon have senses of mercy and of empathy only because they were taught by humans. Unown on the other hand, have had little to no contact with humans. They think without ethic.

And what did humans do before ethic codes?

Whatever was most convenient for them.

That's the part that scares me. So what if the Unown were deceased humans? Did that still give them a sense of morality?

Danson didn't know, Amy didn't know.

I can only pray that my musings would be wrong.

Only one thing can remain for certain. Ancestery has always and will always be a giant part of human DNA. I don't know how potent that part may be, but when you've lived amongst the rabid fans and corrupt individuals the way I have, you learn a little. Humans can lose themselves, turn dark.

Pokemon are innocent, sure. But being taught themes by humans, can they be affected by human errors as well?

* * *

From the top of Mount Silver, where the clouds can't reach, where the heavens seem to rest their tired legs and live a little, this is where it resides. The game changer.

Streaked yellow and black, with a purple cape, the legendary beast appears out of nowhere, out of calling, it senses danger.

With a mighty roar, the beast descends the Mountain in several long, free-falling leaps and rushes towards its target.

* * *

Solidad sits in the Lodge drinking a diet marble soda now. The Lodge group had retreated from the Ruins so that Magnolia Ketchum, Samuel Oak, and company could run tests on the dent in the wall. They had strong suspicions that the only way to get safely through would be to use Secret Power, not too unlike the Secret Bases of the Hoenn Region.

Ash watches a Sinnoh tournament battle on the TV in the far corner of the room. Misty reads an old, soggy looking book with a sour expression. Delia carries an intense conversation with a young, female scientist from Kanto.

Brendan and May sit on a leather couch next the fireplace. She is crying into Brendan's shoulder.

He knows. She's told him.

_"So what has Solidad been talking with you about?" Brendan asked curiously over a bowl of cereal in the morning._

_"Oh, nothing important. Memories...things of the sort," May dismissed it. _

_Brendan wasn't about to let her get away with it. he was tired of all the secrets she liked to keep from him, from everyone, sometimes even from herself. "Really? What kind of memories? Good ones? Bad ones? Ones about Drew?"_

_May was tiring of Brendan's fussing over Drew. "Nothing's going on between me and Drew. Keep in mind that you chose him to take our daughter before I did! You two are friends as well." _

_Brendan stood up, furiously. "Don't make this about me! You're keeping things from me, May. I'm your husband; you should tell me everything!" _

_May looked like she had seen a ghost. "What do you know?"_

_Brendan glared at her. "I want to hear what happened in your own words. In conversation with me. No one else. You're not going to leave until you tell me!" _

_May pressed harder. "How did you know! I hadn't told anyone but Solidad! How could you possibly-?"_

_It dawned on her, and she slapped Brendan across the face. _

_"Are you insane?" Brendan yelped. _

_May looked into his eyes with nothing but disgust. "You were listening! You couldn't know otherwise! You heard every word I said to Solidad! How dare you!" _

_"I'm your husband, May. Amy is OUR child. How could you keep something like this form me?" _

_May could not take it anymore. The tears began, as did the angry screams. "HE RAPED ME, BRENDAN! HARLEY RAPED ME! I didn't want to tell anyone, but now you're going to force me to do so? I don't know who the hell Amy's father is. I don't want to know. I just wanted to say it was you and move on!" _

_Brendan tried to reply. "I...I loved you, May." _

_"I thought I loved you, Brendan. But I don't think so anymore. This marriage is crumbling."_

_"There's no trust. And there still isn't. I want to know if Amy is my child."_

_May snarled. "She has to be rescued first. She might not even make it out alive." _

_"Shut up! SHUT UP! I've had enough of your wallowing in your own pool of pity. It's sickening! You're not always the victim here, May. Would you please SUCK IT UP for once in your goddamn life?" _

_May couldn't speak. It felt like her world was falling apart. _

_Brendan felt no regret. Just the opposite, in fact, he felt slightly dazed, almost like he was high on some unknown substance. "You're a terrible wife. You're dishonest, disloyal, and you don't actually love me. You sought me out of convenience." _

_May gulped. "You're exactly right." _

_Brendan double-took. _

_"I did seek you out of convenience. I know of you being a great heart, a fair mind, and as loyal as a Growlithe. I guess I was wrong, though. You're none. You have no idea what I've been through my entire life. I just...I just need someone right now. Someone that can hold onto me and tell me that everything's okay and that all the monsters will stay in the closet." _

_"Does this mean-?"_

_"-I don't know what it means yet. I think you're right when you say that this isn't working out." _

_May plopped herself down on the leather couch by the fireplace and sobbed harder. Brendan sighed and followed suit. _

_"Look," he said. "Eight years of wasted life. We had a good ride, didn't we?" _

_May stared at him suspiciously. "Why are you suddenly so good-natured about this?" _

_"Because you're right. I'd be happier on my own. As for Amy..."_

_"We're separating, aren't we?" _

_"I guess that's what this is." _

_"Okay. As for Amy...?" _

_"We'll see what happens. That's a monumental task for future May and future Brendan to deal with. In the meantime, we have other worries." Brendan paused. "We don't even know if we'll have a child to argue over..." _

_"Don't say that," May snapped at him. "She'll be fine. She's with Drew. I trust him." _

_Brendan gave it some thought. "I suppose I do, too."

* * *

_

"What does this mean?" Sammy asks the waiting Raikou.

Illusion or reality? Dream or life? Right or wrong? She didn't seem to know.

"I am real," he answers. "I am your guardian."

"You're a Pokemon." Sammy tries to calm herself. "You can't possibly be-"

"I am."

Of all the weird situations that Sammy has ever gotten herself into, this one has to take the cake.

"Oh, that's weird..."

"What's weird, Samantha?"

"Never mind," she giggles into her palm, but then looks the Raikou in the eyes. "And it's _Sammy_."

"If that is what you wish for, so shall it be."

"Lovely. Dad always seems to ignore me when I tell him that."

"And he won't any longer. Do you have any deep desires, Sammy Oak?"

Sammy thinks about it carefully. Spilling her innermost secrets to a Pokemon she's just met that comes up to her and tells her that he's her guardian? _Sounds legit_, she tells herself.

But then she stops herself. It's time to stop being so selfish. She got her chance to tell her father what was going on, and she had a chance to see her mother suffering yet again. She had inflicted pain, serious pain. Was it worth it to distort reality in her favor yet again.

"I want to save Drew Rose, Amy Birch, and Jonas Danson from the Unown," she says finally. "I want them out alive. And I want the Unown to never mess with them again."

Raikou nods, understandingly. "If that is what you wish for."

"That is what I wish for, guardian."

* * *

The light is blinding. It makes Magnolia shake in her boots. She averts her eyes.

Out of absolutely nowhere, a Raikou seems to have appeared.

"I am Sammy's guardian. I am here to save the victims," he informs her.

Magnolia shrugs. _Sounds legit_, she thinks. _After all, it's not as thought I was making any progress. _

"Carry on," she tells him.

Sammy comes running shortly after as Raikou stares down the dent in the wall.

"You got this, Raikou!"

"Yes, I do, Sammy."

* * *

I could see the light of day as the crowd gathered to watch our escape.

Stairway to heaven, Amy calls it.

Revival, rejuvination, light.

My eyes struggle to adjust to the difference.

"What _the devil _happened?" Danson wonders.

We see a young teenager tending to an unconscious spiky-haired man in a lab coat. Magnolia Ketchum for some reason or another is there, giving out high-fives. Solidad claps the loudest. Ash and Misty watch from afar. An old lady and Professor Samuel Oak hug each other. Researchers from all over the world are cheering. May smiles a real smile. Brendan approves.

I have the_ worst _head-rush.

How much have I missed laying in the castle of the Unown?

The spiky-haired scientist at last wakes up. He admires the girl next to him.

"Entei?" he asks.

"It's a secret, Dad," she declares. "Maybe if you stop calling me _Samantha_ I-"

"_Sammy_!"

"Fine. It was my own guardian. The Unown have been vanquished. They're finished. The nightmare is over. Secret power. Happy?"

"Mildly."

And then, I realize just how famished I've become.

_**Remember me. **_

Well, I'm sure I can figure it out in the morning.

In the mean time, I squeeze Amy's trmebling shoulder before she runs off and reunites with her parents. I watch gleefully.

Then I decide to go make myself a chicken salad sandwich. After all, I can't think on an empty stomach.

As I leave, I can hear Danson exclaim, "You guys made that whole thing seem so _dramatic_!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**This is not the end of the story. **

**This is the end of **_**PART ONE**_**.**

**That means that this is a turning point. **

**Prepare for more crazy plot twists, more unlikely friendships, more seemingly unsolvable mysteries, and even some romance beginning in Part Two.**

**Guys, this doesn't mean I'm going to stop for a while. There will be new chapters, but they'll be going in a different direction. As in, Drew and Amy aren't trapped in any more Ruins. Yo-ho and a bottle of rum. **

**Thanks for your diligent reading!**

**-SF**


	21. Behind Closed Doors and Shared Secrets

**Welcome to Part Two. And so the journey continues.**

* * *

_A light, a light. It sets the world on fire like the match she yielded and her sword, her fury. She was full of passion, anyone could tell you that. Full of fight, she wouldn't back down; on the contrary, she'd sink her claws into your trembling leg until she found purchase in your flighty decisions._

_That was the old May, and she seems to be returning._

_It's bad though, or at least makes me feel like a bad person when I don't know where the old May ever went. I bet Brendan does. I bet even Solidad might. Harley...I can't help but cringe with the slightest inkling of thought._

_But now I have to handle this new prodigy of hers through crumbling walls and unknown dangers. We're out of that cave and into another. Adventure seems so potent in our blood that we can't stay away, that we reek of it._

_So be it. We ask the seasons to bring it on._

* * *

I am being introduced to my saviors today. Amy is by my side, holding onto her mother's hand. It's suspicious though; I haven't seen much of Brendan since our return to the surface. Maybe he's still in shock.

Gary-'scuse me, I meant _Professor Garrison Samuel Oak_-teaches us about the circumstances each individual helped us overcome.

First is Delia. I shake hands with the elderly woman.

"I'm Ash's mother," she says with a heartfelt smile and pinch of Amy's cheek. She seems like she'd be a great mother...the kind to bake cookies with milk on bad days and give great advice. "I'm so happy that you're okay. You know, we all were worried sick! Even little Gary was, despite his rocky exterior."

Oak shifts uncomfortably.

Next we run into Ash being his usual indescribably idiotic self-or maybe I should keep my recollections unbiased.

"I helped, Drew. I shouldn't have though, based on what you did to May," he tells me, making sure May and Amy are out of earshot. We appear to be shaking hands like men, but he sure doesn't act like one.

"The _hell_ are you talking about, Ketchum?"

"You know exactly what I mean," he growls.

I decide to ignore him. He's only full of nonsense anyway. And any battle he might have won during his career was won out of sheer luck.

A ginger comes forth after. She appears to be about thirty, but she has wrinkles around her eyes and very dark circles below. When she shakes my hand, her fingers feel like they can simply wither away out of weakness.

"Hello. I'm Misty Waterflower. I'm glad to see you've returned safe and sound."

"As am I." I didn't have much time to think of conversation starters; I was too distracted by her appearance.

"Are you okay, miss?" Amy wonders. May frowns and squeezes her daughter's hand.

"I'm getting there," Misty nods. She's honest to strangers. I don't know why, but that strikes me as so strange...

Magnolia flies in right behind Misty and grabs my hand in both of hers. She looks a little bit flustered.

"Name's Maggie, but you already knew that, right? Eheh...welp, I'm the one that found you guys under the collapsed tomb," she says, vigorously shaking my arm. "And I'm really glad you're not dead," she adds. "I wanted to at least _meet_ you before writing you up in a historical essay!"

Realizing she might have said something wrong, Magnolia side-steps away from us. I didn't say one word to the girl, but already, I sort of respect her.

We finally circle around back over to where Oak stands with Danson, Sammy, and old Oak. They call him "Gramps;" even the ones that are not related to him call him that, so I merely follow suit.

"Drew," Danson greets me. "Amy. May. How are you?"

"I've been better," I reply, as Amy smiles and says, "Just great!"

She's been in a delightfully cheery mood for the last couple of hours. I suspect that the emotions now are not quite as desperate as they were before when we still resided in that damned castle.

"We just got away from the meds," I add, flicking my hair. "They kept fussing over us, but we're fine. We were just a bit shaken up."

"And who could blame you?" Gramps says, shrugging.

"You could have died," Oak remarks. I raise an eyebrow.

"Ignore Dad," Sammy warns. "He's _chock full_ of optimism."

"I'll keep it in mind."

Amy tugs on my hand now. "Solidad's over there," she notes to her mother and me. "Can we go say something?"

May purses her lips and looks at me. I am indifferent.

"Yes, Amethyst. Go with Drew. There's someone else I'd like to talk to."

"'Kay, Mom. C'mon, Drew. You're so slow, it's like toting around a Slowbro or something. Hurry up!"

"Can't you call me something else that demands respect? I dunno, _sir_ or something?"

"Nope. Let's go, Drew."

So we make our way over to the pink haired woman. I find myself wishing I had a rose to offer to her but all of mine wilted in my backpack during our stay underground.

"Oh look, it's wittle Drewbie!" Solidad cries, using her best baby voice. "Ha! How goes it, little guy?" She ruffles my hair.

"Not so little anymore," I say, flicking my hair back into place. "I'm thirty years old now and I'm _definitely_ a man."

"See, there's where we disagree," Solidad says, winking. "And who's this?" She looks down at Amy.

Amy grins. "I'm Amy Birch. Aspiring world champion and peacemaker."

"Peacemaker?"

I squirm uncomfortably. Amy says, "Have you seen how many fights Drew gets himself into?"

Solidad laughs. "Point well made. I remember back in the day when Harley-"

She stops short. I swallow. Amy seems curious. "Harley?"

"Oh...maybe I can't remember..." Solidad poorly covers up her mistake. Her smile wipes from her face. "Never mind, never mind. I must be hitting my mid-life crisis..." And she awkwardly walks off. Leaving Amy behind, I follow.

"What was that all about?" I demand once we're away from everyone else. I take her by the arm, force her to look at me.

"Nothing. I just couldn't remember..." Solidad trails off unconvincingly.

"Liar," I accuse. I don't mean to sound so serious, so...dangerous, but I do, and Solidad suddenly looks worried.

"I-I'll tell you later. Seriously. Let me go, I need to..." She doesn't finish her sentence, makes a wild hand gesture, and leaves like that. I don't know what to make of the situation. And I try to forget it but things like that are difficult to forget, so the whole thing stays clogged up in the back of my mind.

Amy calls out my name and asks me to join in on a conversation with her and her mother, and I oblige.

* * *

"_Women_."

Brendan leans on the side of the balcony and drowns in his own self-pity. He clutches a bottle of beer in his right hand, grips the railing with his left. It's only his first drink, so he's not quite tipsy yet as much as he would like to be. He doesn't want to be able to think straight when the process of the mind hurts so much.

He has a mental debate with himself.

_Maybe, just maybe if I ripped Harley limb from limb she'd love me again_, he thinks to himself. _I'd do anything_.

_But why do I say that? She loves Drew. It's obvious. She's probably fallen into his open arms already. I have no chance._

_Unless...unless Amy chooses me. If she'd rather be with her father than some random imposter. Drew wouldn't make a very good father anyway. And he's the one that got Amy trapped in the chamber with him anyhow. Regardless, he did help to save her, but I just need to mention the Unown to set May off. Then I'll be good._

_Amethyst could be my child though. That would make things easier. May would stick around just for the sake of providing a stable lifestyle for her. And I love them both so much...I can't imagine life without them._

_I should have a talk with Drew, shouldn't I?_ He ponders to himself. And with this final thought he downs his beer and reaches for another in the cooler by the sliding glass door.

* * *

"Please, sir? _Please_...?"

"No. I told you. I'm too old for you. You'll find some other guy, someone younger, kinder, you know. Someone better for you. There's gotta be someone out there for you, girl."

"I doubt it. You're the only-"

"It will never happen. That's my final word on the subject."

"But-"

"I'm being seirous here, alright? I can't be dating some chick that just took her baby steps into adulthood! My reputation is already tarnished enough!"

"As if it could get any worse..."

"Don't you _dare_ scoff at me. If you had any chance at changing my mind, it's gone now."

"Sorry, I-"

"No. I've told you, no."

"I'll convince you. I promise."

"Doubtful."

The door opens and shuts. Sammy merely stares, mouth gaping open.


	22. All My Roses Have Died

"It's been a while, huh?"

"Too long. It feels like it's been forever..."

"All my roses have died," I say flatly.

She smiles coyly. "Well, _there_'s a happy thought."

"I try."

"But seriously...when was the last time we had a real conversation? Just you and me, and not about anyone else? A heart-to-heart, you know...that sort of thing?"

"Why are you so chipper all of a sudden?"

"Why don't you flip your hair anymore? I mean, sure, it used to annoy me to death and beyond, but you've stopped. Now I kind of miss it."

"You thought it was hot." I smirk arrogantly.

May reaches out and touches the hair above my eyes, flicks it the way I used to before I retired all too often. Usually it was just for the cameras. Or to spite May. Or something along those lines.

"I didn't," she replies at last, letting go of my hair and letting her arm drop limply to the side. "I thought you were an _idiot_, honest to Arceus."

"That's reassuring," I frown. I drop my weight unto the nearest chair.

We are silent for a while.

She pulls at the split ends in her limp hair. I pick a scab on the back of my wrist. She hums to herself. I tap the floor with my feet and then cross my legs. She yawns. I let my head rest on the back of the seat. I know I don't need to say anything and frankly I don't want to. She, on the other hand, finds something in the void.

She opens her mouth again. "I'm leaving my husband."

I think I should start closing her mouth when she decides to say something. It would likely help us both.

"What?"

"I said, I'm-"

"No, no...I caught what you said-"

"Then why did you say 'what'?"

"Because I don't understand!"

May gives me a funny look and then "hmph"s and turns away. She folds her arms across her chest and paces. We call this her huffy expression. She has turned sour, like milk left out for too long.

"What's so hard to understand? It's a simple concept."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I've given it some thought and-"

"And?"

"_Would you let me finish a sentence!_?" she yells at me, and then quickly calms down, balling her hands into fists. It feels a lot like old times. "But...I think I'll have to come out of retirement if I want to live in a new place. Or I could return to traveling."

I very suddenly become nervous. "Traveling?"

"I want to take Amy out of your hands. It's not that I don't trust you, Drew. I just want to be with my only daughter. Is that too much to ask?"

She seems furious at me for some reason. I don't understand...

"No. Calm down, May."

"_Don't tell me what to do!_" she says, and she begins to leave the room.

"Sorry!"

Still she continues to leave without looking back.

"Wait!"

I am ignored. She walks on. I feel stupid, sitting there in the faded chair, still picking off the dead skin. I can't shake the idea that I may have just lost a sizable opportunity.

* * *

_**Ring, ring.**_

"'Lo?"

"Solidad, Solidad! How goes it? I was just thinking about you!"

"Harley? ...Oh. Um, I'm well. Sort of. How're you?"

"Fabulous, per usual. Heh. Considering getting a perm but I'm not sure if my bone structure is quite there, y'know?"

"Sure. Listen...now is not really a good time."

"Yeah? Oh! I heard about that daughter of May's on the morning news! Apparently she got out alright? That's great news! I should bake her something but she won't speak to me."

"I wonder-er, she _won't_?"

"Nope. Not once. I don't get it, but hey! Girls get PMS, I get it."

"_You_ get PMS..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing... Anyhow, um, the situation's under control. People have just started leaving the site and all. Nothing more to worry about now, I don't think."

"You're over there?"

"Yeah."

"So that's where you've been! I've missed you Solidad. I can't see the back of my head in the mirror, and without you around I can't comb it out as well!"

"R-right. Like I said, this isn't a good time so..."

"Of course not! Sorry, sorry! Heh. I'll just have to bother you some other time, hun. Fine with me. Hurry back home! I miss you! Kisses!"

"Bye, Harley."

"Toodles!"

Solidad hangs up the phone with the worst headache she has had in quite some time.

* * *

"Drew and I will get a move on soon. I only have one badge, Dad. I want all seven!"

Amy smirks. It' an expression Brendan supposes she learned from Drew. He has never seen the expression on her face previously. He does not like it one bit.

"May I see it?"

"Sure thing. Lemme find it!"

She digs through her bag. Brendan slides the ring on his left hand up and down his ring finger. He has a strong suspicion it won't be there much longer.

"Here." She passes him the small, delicate badge.

"You got this from Falkner," he says, examining it closely.

"Bingo," Amy affirms, beaming with pride. "Drew said I beat him handily. I thought it was challenging, but maybe it didn't look like it..."

"I bet you're brilliant," Brendan says. He wants to put a genuine smile on the little girl's face, not that arrogant shit from before. He wants to see teeth and bright eyes that don't sparkle so mischievously.

"Thanks, Dad."

"So who's next on the list?"

"Bugsy. Ever heard of him?"

"No. Well, sort of. I heard that he took over. Back in my day, Azalea had a different gym leader. His brother, I think. Or is it a her?"

Amy glares.

"I'm only joking! But...that's a bug-type gym, no?"

"I think so."

"So it should be no trouble for Beautifly if you utilize the flying moves," Brendan says. "Gust should do the trick. If what I heard is right, his best team member is a Scyther."

"I don't like that one much. Scary, with its arms swinging around like that."

"Very territorial, too. Dad always loved to point that out. Your grandfather, I mean."

"Oh?"

"They don't like to be crossed."

Amy takes in all of this information. She tugs Brendan's old hat over her forehead. It has an annoying habit of riding up and bringing her bangs with it. She gets noticable hat hair when she took it off.

"By the way, Amy. Could I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"Would you rather travel with me or with Drew?"

Amy hesitates. Brendan hangs his head, disappointed.

"Dad..."

"It's alright."

"I'm just used to being with Drew all the time. Don't take it personally..."

"It's alright," Brendan repeats.

Amy can't help but feel she's failed a test.

"But if you did decide to travel with me...I could make it worth your while. Trust me."

Amy still isn't sure.

* * *

"No, she won't leave me alone about it, Gramps. I dunno what to do."

Gramps rubs his aching shoulder. Old age often gets to him at the worst of times.

"Huh. Have you ever listened to any romantic advice of mine, Gary? You would know how to solve this very problem! I've been over it a million times!"

"This is different. And what could possibly give you the notion that I read your work?"

"Wishful thinking," Gramps mutters, and then adds, "Then you've gotten yourself into your own trap. Have fun getting out of this one because I've offered you help. If you won't accept it, you're on your own. Good luck."

Gramps leaves. Oak pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"She's an Arceusdamned _child_," he says to himself.


End file.
